Bill Would Allow Farmers to Shoot Black Vultures Attacking Livestock

Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) helped introduce The Black Vulture Relief Act, which would amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow Missourians to take action against a black vulture when the bird is causing death, injury or destruction to livestock.

“Black vultures are a deadly species that have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to ranchers and producers across Missouri. These birds are native to Missouri and have seen their population grow by more than 450% since 1990. We must keep this dangerous bird population under control and allow ranchers and producers across the Show Me State the ability to do what they do best— feed our nation and the world,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.

“Predatory black vultures pose a serious threat to livestock in Missouri and across our nation. For too long, livestock producers have been burdened by red tape and bureaucracy when defending their farms. Missouri Farm Bureau is grateful to Senator Schmitt and his colleagues for leading the charge to give farmers the ability to protect their livestock when threatened. This is an important step in the right direction, and we look forward to working with our elected leaders to implement this commonsense reform to better serve farmers and ranchers,” said Garrett Hawkins, President of the Missouri Farm Bureau a farmer from St. Clair County.

“Missouri producers increasingly face the emotional and financial strain of cattle deaths due to the predatory black vultures. At a time when our state’s cattle numbers are at the lowest level since the 1950s, we cannot afford to have vultures killing newborn calves. Producers need to be able to protect their private property regardless of an international bird treaty signed 110 years ago. Thank God we have a U.S. Senator with commonsense who cares more about cattlemen than scavengers,” said Mike Deering, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President.

The Black Vulture Relief Act will:

· Amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow a covered person (producer or employee of a producer) to take (capture, kill or disperse and transport carcass) a black vulture when…

· The vulture is causing, or that the covered person has a reasonable belief will cause, death, injury, or destruction to livestock.

· Cause injury to the bird in the course of taking or attempting to take a black vulture.

· Require producers file an annual report with their local FWS office on yearly takings, if the producer takes a vulture in the year.

Bill Would Allow Farmers to Shoot Black Vultures Attacking Livestock

By the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association

On Thursday, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association member and Missouri cattle producer Charlie Besher testified before the House Natural Resources Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee in support of the Black Vulture Relief Act. Besher, the chairman of NCBA’s Property Rights and Environmental Management Committee, shared how predatory black vultures take a toll on cattle producers’ livestock and livelihoods.

“Black vultures play a role in the ecosystem, and cattle producers have no desire to eradicate the species, but to continue managing them under such a restrictive system is ludicrous. The species is abundant across the continent, and no longer a conservation concern. These birds are extremely vicious predators and their attacks on cattle are devastating, both emotionally and financially,” said Besher. “As a cow-calf producer who has invested for years in voluntary conservation in Missouri, I’m proud to testify in support of the commonsense Black Vulture Relief Act. On behalf of NCBA and the thousands of producers who are losing cattle each year to black vultures, I urge Congress to pass this legislation to give farmers and ranchers more tools to protect their livestock.”

After 50 years of federal protections, black vultures now number 190 million strong and are an abundant species across the country. Even though a growing number of producers lose calves each year to black vulture depredation, the current framework for lethal take is overly restrictive and burdensome.

Introduced by Rep. John Rose (R-TN) and Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), the Black Vulture Relief Act is bipartisan legislation that would allow cattle producers to take vultures without a permit, when there is an immediate need to protect their livestock from injury or death. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues black vulture depredation permits to states and states issue sub-permits to producers, but these permits only allow for take of three individual animals per year. Given that black vultures can attack multiple times a month in flocks as large as 50, the current permits are completely insufficient to address the problem. Black vulture numbers are also on the rise, and they attack cattle in a particularly vicious way, usually targeting calves hours or even minutes after birth.

The Black Vulture Relief Act is also supported by numerous NCBA state affiliates.