The Black Vultures Relief Act was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate last week. The legislation would allow farmers and ranchers to protect their livestock from black vultures without first having to obtain a depredation permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). A companion bill was introduced in the House.
Since vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, permission from FWS currently is needed to remove them. This is despite their growing population, which, according to the Breeding Bird Survey conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, has increased about 468% to more than 190 million birds since 1990.
Black vultures, often in flocks of more than 20, will brutally attack newborn calves, as well as cows during or after birth. From 2020 to 2025, USDA wildlife services reports black vulture attacks on cattle increased by almost 25%. While the birds are most prevalent in the Southeast and Midwest, they have been spotted as far north as New York and Michigan and as far west as Arizona.
NCBA and 14 state cattlemen’s associations, including KLA, support the bill.