MEPs attempt to curb bullfighting

Animal welfare campaigners have welcomed a vote by the European Parliament against taxpayer subsidies being paid towards bullfighting.

Some 438 MEPs voted in favour of an amendment against payouts which campaigners say are worth €156m a year to farmers who raise bulls on their land for fighting in Spain.

The subsidies are indirectly helping keep the bullfighting industry alive, animal welfare groups said.

The amendment in the budget said EU funds, through farming subsidies or other financing, should not be used to finance bullfighting.

British Conservative MEP Jacqueline Foster, vice-president of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Animal Welfare, said: “The torture of animals for entertainment purposes is a barbaric practice.

The issue will now be passed to the European Council and Commission for further consideration.

Tom Southern, head of public affairs for the League Against Cruel Sports, said the vote represented a significant step forward in bringing an end to “barbaric” bullfighting, but there were still hurdles to jump.

“MEPs from all countries have listened to people who are saying loud and clear - bullfighting is a barbaric and medieval pastime which has no place in modern society,” he said.