A survey carried out by Ipsos I&O Public on behalf of the Dutch animal protection organisation CAS International has revealed that bullfighting is facing growing opposition in Spain, France and Portugal, despite the recent resurgence led mostly by the far-right VOX party in Spain, enabled by the PP. The results show a resounding rejection of this reviled practice that many consider causes too much suffering for animals.
Spain, France and Portugal are the European countries where bullfighting is still legal, and where different types of “celebrations” still take place with bulls, calves and fighting cows, including San Isidro festivities this week. Every year thousands of animals suffer mistreatment and a slow and painful death before the eyes of the public. (In Spain it is estimated that between 18,000 and 20,000 die in these bullfighting celebrations annually).
However, public support for bullfighting is declining in all bullfighting countries and the bullrings are emptier every day. Maite van Gerwen, director of CAS International, an organisation committed to ending bullfighting, points out: “It is clear that more and more people are becoming aware of the violence inflicted on bulls and no longer accept it.” Van Gerwen highlighted that bullfighting is facing a decline in public support, reflected in the decline in attendance at bullfights and bullfighting events in general.
“The scientific evidence and the contradictions in animal welfare regulations should be enough to open an unavoidable debate about the continuity of bullfighting,” says Aïda Gascón, director of AnimaNaturalis in Spain. “However, the results of this survey turn this discussion into something that cannot stand any further postrogation: the population no longer accepts bullfighting as part of its cultural identity,” she adds.
PIONEERING SURVEY IN THE THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WITH BULLFIGHTING
The survey, carried out on 7,500 people (2,500 in each of the three European bullfighting countries), shows that 77% of those surveyed agree that bullfighting inflicts too much suffering on animals. Only 11% consider that it is a fun practice and 58% agree that bullfighting should be prohibited. These results reflect a growing awareness of animal rights and welfare.
Only 1 in 5 people think that bullfighting is a valuable tradition that should have a place in society.
In addition to animal suffering, the survey also addressed the issue of violence towards children associated with bullfighting. Although since 2014 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly urged countries where bullfighting still exists to protect minors under 18 years of age from exposure to these practices, the effective implementation of these measures has been limited. In the survey carried out, 65% of the participants in the survey agreed that children under 18 years of age should be prohibited from attending bullfighting events.
In the case of Spain, in the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to Spain in 2018 ( CRC/C/ESP/CO/5-61 ) in its Section E. Violence towards children, art. 25, it is stated: “To prevent the harmful effects of bullfighting on children, the Committee recommends that the State party prohibit the participation of children under 18 years of age as bullfighters and as members of the public in bullfighting shows.”
A particularly controversial aspect revealed by the survey is the public financing of bullfighting. For several years now it has been known and criticised that the breeding of fighting bulls receives subsidies from European taxes. According to bullfighting sources, around 200 million euro annually in agricultural subsidies from the European Union are allocated to the breeding of bulls for this purpose through the CAP, in addition to national and regional subsidies that are allocated to bullfighting in different forms. Survey participants disagree with this, as 67% of respondents disagreed with dedicating public funds to support bullfighting.
The survey results also highlight a growing demand for intervention at European Union level to protect animal welfare in cultural traditions. Currently this responsibility falls on the Member States, as established in Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union, which leaves in their hands the protection of animals used in cultural, traditional and religious events and so far, the European Commission has not proposed legislation to protect the welfare of these animals.
However, 74% of respondents stated that they strongly agreed that the EU should protect animal welfare within cultural traditions. support for broader measures at EU level.
VOTER OPINION
It is also important to highlight that the critical opinion towards bullfighting shown in the survey is not limited to a specific political affiliation. In the survey, participants were asked which party they had voted for in their country’s last national election, and it turned out that on the issues of animal suffering and EU responsibility, the majority of voters across all political parties were in favour. Likewise, with respect to other issues, the survey showed that both left-wing, right-wing and centrist voters share critical opinions about this practice.
In Spain, even the majority of PSOE, PP and Vox voters agree that bullfighting causes too much pain to animals, they are against subsidies for it and do not consider it fun.
The voters of ERC, Sumar and Junts are those who maintain a more critical position against bullfighting, supporting its ban by 74% in the case of the first two and 78% in the case of Junts.
PSOE voters are also mostly against bullfighting, with 85% believing that it causes too much suffering to the bulls, 62% who would prohibit it compared to only 14% who would not. 71% are against public subsidies, 71% would prohibit it for those under 18 years of age and only 9% consider it fun. Likewise, only 16% of socialist voters believe that bullfighting should have a place in society.
Among PP voters, 64% consider that it causes too much suffering to the bulls, 37% would prohibit it compared to 34% who would not and 26% would be neutral. 44% are against public subsidies compared to only 25% who are in favour. 50% would prohibit those under 18 years of age and only 33% think that bullfighting should have a place in society. Only 22% consider it fun.
As for Vox voters, 62% consider that it causes too much suffering to the bulls, 38% would prohibit it compared to 40% who would not and 19% neutral. 46% are against public subsidies compared to 30% who are in favour. 50% would prohibit it for those under 18 years of age and only 17% consider it fun. Likewise, only 37% believe that bullfighting should have a place in society.
In summary, the results of this survey reflect that the public perception towards bullfighting in Spain, France and Portugal is mostly rejection and that bullfighting faces an uncertain future in Europe.
In Spain, a Popular Legislative Initiative called #NoEsMiCultura is currently underway that seeks to eliminate law 18/2013 that declares bullfighting Cultural Heritage and that undermines the powers of the autonomous communities and municipalities to prohibit and regulate bullfighting if they so wish and that represents a de facto shielding of bullfighting practice, such as the case in the Valencia region where the vice president, a former bullfighter, was promoted to the position to ensure the PP could govern, and funding was therefore increased.
Marta Esteban Miñano, from the ILP Promotion Commission, states: “It makes no sense that a cruel and reviled practice that 54% of Spaniards want to prohibit is Cultural Heritage of Spain. Currently, bullfighting is imposed on us and what we demand is the need to give freedom to the CCAA and society as a whole to decide their future. With this objective we encourage everyone to sign and participate in this ILP.”