Colombian president signs law banning bullfighting

23-07-2024

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has signed the law banning bullfighting from 2027. The ban in Colombia is now official! On May 28, 93 congressmen voted in favor of the ban on bullfighting and two against. The end of this cruel centuries-old cultural tradition in Colombia is finally in sight!

Victory over ban

Petro had promised during his campaign days that he would end shows involving animal cruelty, as he did in Bogotá when he was mayor (2012-2015). After coming to power in September 2022, he spoke out several times against bullfighting. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, celebrated the victory over X by writing:

“Congratulations to those who have succeeded in ensuring that death will no longer be a show.”

Colombia bans bullfighting

Historic moment

With this ban, Colombia is sending a clear signal to other countries where bullfighting still takes place. Maite van Gerwen, director of CAS International:

“With this ban, Colombia sets an example for other countries that still allow bullfighting and for all individuals and organizations fighting for a ban on bullfighting. We continue to fight for a ban in all countries. Colombia proves that it can be done.”

CAS International visited Colombia several times over the past 12 years to support local organizations in their fight against bullfighting.

Bullfighting is seasonal labor

Colombia has 66 breeding farms of fighting bulls. Of these, 10 breeding farms supply bulls for the main bullfights in Colombia, Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and Manizales. Currently, there are about 150,000 fighting bulls in Colombia and between 120 and 150 bullfights per year. Bulls are also sold for bull festivals.

Now that the law has been signed by Petro, there will be a three-year transition period for the families making money from bullfighting. These are mainly the bullfighters, their assistants (picadores, banderilleros, etc) and the breeders of fighting bulls. According to a study of the Colombian university UNAD focusing on the period 2012-2023, bullfighters mainly do seasonal work. During this period, 222 bullfighters participated in at least one bullfight in Colombia. Of these, 81.98 percent did less than 10 bullfights in the period between 2012 and 2023. The most active bullfighter, Luis Bolivar, did 63 bullfights in 11 years, an average of 5.7 per year. The study calls bullfighting a sporadic activity.

According to the same study, the ban on bullfighting has little impact on the financial situation of breeders, since their main source of income is the sale of cattle for meat consumption. They do the breeding of fighting bulls on a hobby basis. The entrepreneurs and employees of the arenas can easily find new work, as they will be converted into venues for concerts, plays, chess championships and business events.

The signing of the new law took place in Bogotá’s bullfighting arena, see below images of Colombia’s president immediately after signing the law.

🚨¡HISTÓRICO! El presidente @petrogustavo acaba de sancionar la ley “No más Olé” que prohíbe las corridas de toros en toda Colombia.🐂

🔴Conéctate con nosotros 👉🏻 https://t.co/oeZQpX2lyz 📲 pic.twitter.com/mpK8YJiS0N

— RTVC Noticias (@RTVCnoticias) July 23, 2024

A long fight

Since 2017, five bills have been introduced to ban bullfighting in Colombia. Consideration of the first four bills was not completed due to deliberate obstruction of processing. Juan Carlos Losada (Liberal Party) stressed that it was a ten-year struggle. He said:

“Colombia is a country that says there is no form of torture that can be considered culture in this world. Colombia is an example for the whole world because we are becoming an increasingly less violent and increasingly civilized society.”

Other countries in South America where bullfighting is already banned are Brazil and Argentina. Bullfighting has taken place in Colombia since Spain colonized the country. Colombia is one of eight countries where bullfighting is still practiced. After the bill is signed into law, seven countries will remain where these cruel fights are not banned. They are France, Portugal, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Spain and Venezuela. In all bullfighting countries, the majority of the population is against bullfighting. According to a survey conducted by Datexco (2022), 85 percent of the Colombian population is against bullfighting.

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