Basque Country spends nearly 300,000 euros a year on bull festivals

21-12-2021

CAS International and AnimaNaturalis announce that the Basque Country spends almost 300,000 euros a year on subsidies for bull festivals. This is the result of an in-depth study we are currently conducting into the 18,000 bull festivals in Spain. As a result of the research results, we ask the authorities of the Basque Country to spend this money not on cruel events with bulls but on matters that society needs, like healthcare or education.

With the results of this research we will gain insight into how much money each municipality in Spain spends per festivity. La Rioja, Catalonia and Valencia are the first three autonomous regions studied. With the information obtained, we conclude that Catalonia spends a total of 850,000 euros on cruel bull festivals and La Rioja 900,000 euros. Valencia takes the crown with 37 million euros of subsidies for the bull festivities every year.

Basque Country

As for the Basque Country, we now know that the municipalities in this region spend at least 288,620 euros per year on cruel events with bulls. The municipalities that allocate the most money to bull festivals are Orozko (34,557.63 €), Durango (24,848.99 €), Bermeo (14,311.40 €) and Zumarraga (10,786.05 €). It is possible that the total amount in the Basque Country exceeds €300,000; several municipalities have refused to provide us with the requested information despite the existing Law on Transparency (La Ley de Transparencia). In order to obtain this information, CAS and AnimaNaturalis will start legal procedures against the municipalities that do not cooperate.

We also have positive news: the Basque green political party Ezker Batua has launched an initiative with the aim to end bullfighting and cruel bullfights.

So we continue to put pressure on the authorities. In the coming months, we will protest in even more Spanish cities – when the Spanish corona measures allow it. Keep an eye on our website for more news. We will also publish new results of our in-depth research.

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