Sir, –Today, a vote will take place in the European Parliament that could deal a devastating blow to the cruel practice of bullfighting.
Each year, €110 million in EU funding goes to support farmers who rear bulls for bullfights.
This is taxpayers’ money being used to subsidise one of the most horrific forms of animal cruelty ever devised.
According to the 2013 report "Toros & Taxes", compiled by Spanish MEPs, "without such backing bullfighting itself would probably be on the brink of financial collapse".
Last year a motion calling for the scrapping of the subsidies was defeated by a narrow margin. Hopefully, MEPs will vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament to end the financial backing of bullfighting via the bull breeding funds.
These subsidies are completely at variance with the anti cruelty measures and aspirations laid out in the European Commission’s Animal Welfare Action Plan.
Bullfighting is an affront to all civilised values.
– Yours, etc,
JOHN FITZGERALD,
PRO, Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports,
Callan,
Kilkenny.