In 2000, the European Union put sanitary policies into effect to prevent outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. These policies dictated the removal of carcasses, which in turn threatened the conservation of carrion-eating birds such as vultures, eagles, and kites, as well as carnivorous mammals such as wolves and bears. After a long process, biodiversity conservation and public health initiatives have been integrated into a new policy that considers the natural foraging patterns of scavengers when allowing farmers to leave livestock carcasses in the field. However, the conservation objectives of this legislation now face a new threat: the lack of consistent criteria to designate scavenger feeding zones (SFZs), where fallen livestock can be left uncollected. Peer Reviewed