In the EU, since the crisis of the mad cow disease in 2003 it is prohibited to leave carcasses of farm animals to the natural cycle. In Germany, where all carcasses go to disposal plants since longer anyway, nothing has changed through the corresponding EU-regulation (1774/2002).
In Spain, Portugal or Greece however, there are areas where all times, farmers used to deposit the dead livestock in certain spots as a bait to feed bears, wolves, vultures, ravens and other scavengers. Since this is no longer permitted, the lack of carcass to feed wild animals amounts to over 3000 tons per year in Asturias alone, according to EuroNatur's estimate. Probably, this problem also explains the emergence of griffon vultures in Germany in May/June 2006. Experts guess that the lack of food in Spain and France led these vultures to explore the grounds further north.
With the support of the Foundation "Heidehof" on European level and together with their Spanish partners, EuroNatur will work towards a modification of this regulation, for which no plausible reason from the scientific point of view exists. Only the disposal plants are benefiting from this regulation, which represents a lucrative business.