Historic bill bans bullfighting in Colombia
“More than 500 years of animal torture in bullrings comes to an end”, said Senator Esmeralda Hernandez on the bill’s passing.
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
A historic bill to ban bullfighting has passed in Colombia.
The successful legislation was supported by more than 40 cross-party congress members. Having passed the Senate last year in September, the bill then faced five days of heated debate in its final vote in the House of Representatives of the Colombian Congress. On May 28, the bill finally passed 93-2.
Representative Alejandro García, the speaker on the bill in the House, argued that passing the bill would fulfil the wishes of the 85 percent of Colombians who disagreed with bullfighting being held in the country.
While there has long been broad public support for a ban, the legislation faced fierce opposition from the pro-bullfighting lobby. Over the years, the industry had successfully fought off previous bills which did not advance or were ultimately shelved, and the latest bill was described by Eduardo Pena of campaign group Animal Defenders International Colombia as having received “a huge amount of attacks” from pro-bullfight supporters.
“Today, more than 500 years of animal torture in bullrings comes to an end and makes way for a more just, dignified and empathetic society with the planet and life”, said Senator Esmeralda Hernández, who supported the bill.
The victory follows years of campaigning by local groups including the Colombia Sin Toreo coalition, who helped introduce the first bill to ban bullfighting seven years ago.
While the legislation still needs to be signed by the president Gustavo Petro, this is believed to proceed without issue as he is a supporter of the ban.
The ban will come into place in 2027, with the three year delay allowing those who financially rely on the industry to transition into other work. It will also give time for bullrings to be converted into spaces for cultural and sporting events.
Colombia is one of only eight countries that still practise bullfighting. Many other countries have bans in place against the practice, including Argentina, Italy, and Brazil.
According to Humane Society International (HSI), around 250,000 bulls are killed in bullfights each year. Along with Colombia, fights still take place in Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, and France.
But the industry continues to face increasing political pressure in countries where the tradition still exists.
In Spain it is legal, but some Spanish cities including Calonge, Vilamacolum and La Vajol have introduced their own city-wide bans.
In Mexico, a judge outlawed bullfighting in 2022 on the basis that bullfights violated resident’s rights to a healthy environment free from violence. No fights took place for over a year in the country, but the ruling was later overturned by Mexico’s Supreme Court in 2023 and bullfighting has since resumed.
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