European Union Member States are no longer allowed to give agricultural subsidies specifically intended to breed fighting bulls. A binding proposal to that effect, submitted by the Dutch Party for the Animals and The Greens, was approved by the European Parliament last week.
“Scrapping these targeted EU-subsidies for bullfighting is one of the few rays of hope in the otherwise disastrous European agricultural policy. Bullfights are cruel and subsidizing them is reprehensible,” says Anja Hazekamp, MEP for the Party for the Animals.
Up until now, breeders of fighting bulls received an estimated €130 million a year in EU-subsidies. Next to this, bullfights are supported with an additional €571 million in national subsidies. “Breeders of fighting bulls will now receive less money, but naturally they shouldn’t be given a single cent in subsidies. We will continue until we reach that goal and bullfights become a thing of the past”, says Hazekamp.
