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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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EU Rules Starve Spanish Vultures

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(Newser) – Madrid’s regional government hopes to relax EU laws that call for rotting livestock to be removed from fields—a precaution against mad cow disease—because the removal denies carrion-munching vultures a meal, the AP reports. “When a sheep or cow dies in the countryside,” said one ornithologist, “we have to allow it to stay there to act as nourishment for these birds.”

Mad cow disease has killed five people in Spain, the first in 2005 and the latest in January. The EU law requires all animal carcasses be disposed of, even if the creature died of natural causes. In the Madrid area, the lack of carrion has sent vultures diving into landfills when fresh loads of trash arrive. The EU is considering an amendment to let some carrion remain.

Part of the Madrid skyline.
Part of the Madrid skyline.   (AP Photo)
Vultures gather over a calf corpse.
Vultures gather over a calf corpse.   (AP Photo)
A king vulture.
A king vulture.   (AP Photo)
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riffran
Mar 16, 09 7:46 PM CDT
hungry carrion birds, or the potential of Human spongiform encephalopathy.....hmmmmmm.......how bout feeding them the effluent from livestock slaughter......but sorry ...I would side with people Reply
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PosterNutbag
Mar 17, 09 1:31 AM CDT
Don't feed cows to cows in the first place. Reply
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riffran
Mar 17, 09 1:01 PM CDT
agreed....cows are HERBIVORES.....feed cows to people..he he......the practice of "recycling" the protein and trace minerals from slaughtered livestock back into feed for the livestock, has always creeped me out.....reminds me of the movie soilent green Reply
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anchower
Mar 17, 09 4:17 PM CDT
So now we're gonna have mad vultures? Reply
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