# Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025

Black vultures have become a growing problem for farmers and ranchers across the country. These large birds attack and kill livestock, particularly young calves, lambs, and goats, causing significant financial losses to agricultural operations. The Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025 is designed to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to protect their animals from these predatory birds.

Currently, federal law strictly protects black vultures, which means farmers need special permits and must follow complicated procedures before they can take action against birds that are actively killing their livestock. This bill loosens those restrictions by allowing farmers and ranchers to more readily remove or kill black vultures that are threatening their animals without having to jump through as many bureaucratic hoops. Essentially, it gives agricultural producers more direct authority to defend their herds without waiting for government approval or dealing with lengthy permitting processes.

The practical impact is that farmers who lose animals to black vulture attacks will have faster, more straightforward options to address the problem themselves. Instead of documenting damage, applying for permits, and waiting for approval, they can take more immediate action to protect their livestock. This is particularly important for smaller farming operations that may not have the resources to deal with extended permitting delays while their animals remain at risk. The bill recognizes that black vulture populations have grown substantially in recent decades, making predation on livestock a real and recurring issue for agricultural communities.

Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025

Mullin, Markwayne

Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025This bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take certain actions against black vultures to protect livestock. (Black vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.)Specifically, livestock producers and their employees may (1) take (i.e., capture, kill, or disperse, or transport the carcass of) a black vulture that they reasonably believe will cause death, injury, or destruction to livestock; or (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take the black vulture, cause injury to the bird. However, they may not take or attempt to take a black vulture through the use of poison.Livestock producers and their employees must submit an annual report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on black vultures taken under this bill. The FWS must develop a reporting form and&nbsp;make this reporting form available on its website.Currently, the FWS has a permit process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the taking of black vultures.