Portugal’s 'People Animals Nature' (PAN) political party has announced a new parliamentary bill as part of its continuing drive to abolish bullfighting in the country.The party’s lone but determined MP argues that "the right to entertainment cannot overlap with that of animal life," so he has put forward a well-argued bill shortly to be debated in parliament.
PAN points out that only eight countries in the world still have bullfighting.
PAN’s previous action to halt or hamper bullfighting in Portugal includes the tabling of a number of legislative initiatives to prohibit RTP from broadcasting bullfights, preventing public funds being used to support the industry and barring under-18s taking part in the spectacle.
This is the first time the party it has come forward with a bill calling for the total abolition of bullfighting.
"The public killing of bulls for entertainment already has been phased out in virtually every country on this continent. Of the 193 countries in the world, only eight have bullfighting activity," says MP, André Silva, adding that the cruelty and suffering involved is, "disguised as cultural heritage."
One rather erudite point from Silva is that, "the identity of a people is created from what is common and not from what divides them. Forcing bullfighting on the Portuguese population is offensive and counterproductive to national unity and a civilised evolution."
Bullfighting in Portugal is patchy: of the country's 308 Council areas, only 44 have bullfighting activity, just 14.8%, with Albufeira in the Algarve one the main venues, hosting 26 shows last year.
According to PAN’s figures, bullfighting attendance already has slumped with 53% fewer spectators last year than in 2010.
"The bullfighting industry has an increasingly insignificant weight in Portugal, despite all the investment in marketing to transform an image associated with brutality and death and the various direct and indirect public subsidies," says Silva.
PAN concluded by saysing that its bill presents an "extensive analysis of historical, social and cultural bullfighting using scientific studies from national and international organisations on the harmful implications that watching bullfighting has on young people and adults, as well as on the animals involved."
