CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) funds must no longer be used to support bullfighting. That is what an amendment passed by the European Parliament states.
Those who breed animals destined for bullfighting do not deserve financial support from the European Union. This has been decided by the European Parliament, as part of its work on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which was approved on Friday 23 October.
"Coupled income support will proportionally exclude the number of livestock whose final destination is sale for activities related to bullfighting, whether through direct sale or through intermediaries." This is the wording of the amendment to Article 31 of the CAP reform package, which the European Parliament approved with 335 votes in favour and 297 against. The new text will enter into force from 2023.
The final word has not yet been spoken, however, since the entire package will now be scrutinised by the Council of the European Union (the other legislative body, made up of one representative per member state) and by the Commission. A hostile reaction from the countries that still organise bullfighting is to be expected: Spain above all, but also France and Portugal. In general, the process of defining the CAP is highly complex, given that the latter represents 34.5 per cent of the Union's budget in 2020 (that is, 58.12 billion euros).
While remaining highly critical of the CAP as a whole, the Lega anti vivisezione (Lav) has expressed satisfaction. Its very own investigative unit, in collaboration with Animal Guardians and Avatma (Asociación de Veterinarios por la Abolición de la Tauromaquia y el Maltrato Animal), published an investigation this summer examining the needless suffering to which the animals are subjected, and the health risks the practice poses to the public.
The report also highlights the fact that, in addition to the 571 million euros allocated by the Spanish authorities, European Union funding has until now been vital for farms breeding animals destined for bullfighting. The estimated figure is around 130 million euros, corresponding to 31.6 per cent of their income. Funds disbursed primarily through the CAP, which are then managed and distributed by the autonomous communities. All this despite the European Parliament having already declared its opposition back in October 2015, with an amendment to the 2016 budget that was ultimately dropped.