§8356 — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, may give depredation permits to livestock producers so they can take (kill or remove) black vultures or common ravens that are harming livestock during calving or lambing. Permits can only go to producers in states or regions the Secretary finds were affected in the previous year. Permit holders must report any takings to the proper enforcement agencies. The Secretary, working with States, must run a black vulture livestock protection program through fiscal year 2030 that allows one public entity or one Farm Bureau group per State to hold a statewide depredation permit to protect commercial livestock. Those holders must show they have the needed experience, submit a full application, follow permit rules and make sure any subpermittees do the same, and collect and report required information. They may give subpermits to producers. The Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (through APHIS) must study whether subpermit take levels can be raised without harming the vulture population, and not later than 1 year after December 23, 2024, must send a report on the program and the study to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Title 7, §8356

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”), may issue depredation permits to livestock producers authorizing takings of black vultures or common ravens otherwise prohibited by Federal law to prevent those vultures or common ravens from taking livestock during the calving season or lambing season.

(2)The Secretary may issue permits under paragraph (1) only to livestock producers in States and regions in which livestock producers are affected or have been affected in the previous year by black vultures or common ravens, as determined by Secretary.

(3)The Secretary shall require, as a condition of a permit under paragraph (1), that the permit holder shall report to the appropriate enforcement agencies the takings of black vultures or common ravens pursuant to the permit.

(b)(1)The Secretary, in coordination with States, shall carry out, through fiscal year 2030, a black vulture livestock protection program (referred to in this subsection as the “program”) that allows 1 public entity or Farm Bureau organization per State to hold a statewide depredation permit to protect commercial agriculture livestock from black vulture predation.

(2)Each public entity or Farm Bureau organization that holds a depredation permit under the program—

(A)shall—

(i)demonstrate sufficient experience and capacity to provide government regulated services to the public, as determined by the Secretary;

(ii)submit a complete depredation permit application, as determined by the Secretary, for review and approval according to procedures of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;

(iii)be responsible for complying with, and ensuring subpermittee compliance with, as applicable, all permit conditions; and

(iv)be responsible for collecting, managing, and reporting required information under the permit; and

(B)may subpermit to livestock producers to take black vultures for the purposes of livestock protection.

(3)The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, shall carry out a study on whether prescribed take levels of black vultures may be increased for subpermittees within a biologically sustainable take level for the population.

(4)Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, shall submit to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report on the status of the program, including the results of the study required under paragraph (3).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2024—Pub. L. 118–198, § 102(2), (4), (5), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and inserted heading, redesignated former subsecs. (a) to (c) as pars. (1) to (3), respectively, of subsec. (a) and realigned margins, and added subsec. (b). Pub. L. 118–198, § 102(1), inserted “; black vulture livestock protection program” after “common ravens” in section catchline. Subsec. (a)(2), (3). Pub. L. 118–198, § 102(3), substituted “paragraph (1)” for “subsection (a)”. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 118–198, § 102(2), (5), added subsec. (b) and redesignated former subsecs. (b) and (c) as pars. (2) and (3), respectively, of subsec. (a).

§8356 Depredation Permits for Black Vultures and Common Ravens; Black Vulture Livestock Protection Program

Summary

Title 7, §8356

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata