Farmers to feed endangered birds

SHEEP and cow by-products that are not used for human consumption may now be fed to endangered carrion birds in Almeria. According to the new regulation approved by the Junta de Andalucia, certain areas are now allowed to feed carrion birds, most of which are endangered species, with healthy livestock by-products. This new measure will save Andalucian farmers the costs of transporting the remains to bio-waste plants, and will also help preserve the several carrion bird species that occupy the area. The species this initiative intends to protect include the Egyptian Vulture, the Bearded Vulture, the Bald Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle and the Black Kite. 

In Andalucia there are approximately 6,408 cattle and sheep farms inside the protected carrion bird species area; 36 per cent of all livestock farms in the region.