Regulation 1774/2002 -- dates from the year 2002. At that time, the fear of BSE or mad cow disease was rampant in Europe and the EU issued a number of new directives to protect the population as much as possible from exposure to the epidemic. Scientists believe humans can contract the disease, in the form of the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), if they consume infected meat.
As part of these new regulations, it was decreed that dead cows, sheep, goats and horses would in the future need to be disposed of in a licensed animal disposal facilities.
Sounds pretty reasonable. Concern for human health and all that, led to clean disposal of dead beasties from the farm. But…
Up until that time, this had by no means been the usual practice, particularly in Mediterranean countries. Animals who died in remote mountain pastures or in far-flung highland valleys were either left where they were or were taken to designated carcass dumps. This was the case in Spain, for example, where such dumps are known as "muladares." Eagles, vultures, wolves and, in particular, brown bears used to look forward to finding carrion -- when it was still available.
For bears, the carcasses were particularly important. Before going into hibernation in the fall and even more so when they emerge in the spring, bears have great problems finding food.
So eagles, vultures, wolves and bears are getting short shrift. Big deal, I hear you say. Ah, but it is. You see, in most of Europe, these are endangered species and their getting more endangered every day.
Go on over to ready what’s happening: EU Carcass Laws Starve Europe's Scavengers
h/t to the Jungle Trader
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