Stop EU subsidies for bullfighting industry

Dear animal friend,

The fighting bulls need your help now! Enough is enough. All Europeans must unite to banish bull fighting and its related forms of killing and torturing for fun. On Wednesday October 22nd the EU Parliament will discuss the wrongful yearly subsidy of 129 million Euros for the bull fighting industry. The suffering bulls and horses used in such performances need your help TODAY.

This vote on Wednesday October 22nd is crucial for next years policies! So we must and will achieve a major victory guarding these animals from suffering. We ask you to write a letter to the Members of European Parliament (MEP's) representing your country. Where possible we offer sample letters in EU languages and the relevant email addresses for most of your MEP's. We encourage sending a personalized message in your own language for higher impact. Please also read our suggestions on how YOU can help these animal victims of human cruelty.

Welcome EU-citizens!

Current European rules state that animals should not suffer from pain, injury, fear or distress. However, the European Union supports the bullfight-industry with 129 million euros of EU-subsidies every year! It is morally and legally wrong that our tax money is spent on financing animal abuse, let alone under an agricultural pretext and it has to stop. Bullfighting is no better than abusing children, women or the elderly; and we do not subsidize that either.

Bullfighting is a systematic torture and killing of unsuspecting animals. It is cruel and senseless and as taxpayers and human beings we take no part in it!

Next to fights terrorizing bulls, there are 'runs' and 'slaughter feasts' with bulls, where civilians slaughter animals out in the open – and where bulls, horses and also citizens get hurt and killed in bloody massacre. Bulls (and horses) are maimed and killed in Spain, Portugal, France, the Canary Islands and the Azores.

Before being terrorized and killed in the arena, bulls destined to be killed in bullfights, spend days in dark enclosures where they are subjected to various kinds of abuse to destroy their strength – even pepper in their eyes and genitals. Horses are blindfolded during bullfights and unabled to react on attacks. Abusing animals and charging money to witness them being tortured to death is an act of disgrace and violence, and should be treated as a criminal act!

As said before, our action NOW is crucial! An earlier amendment submitted by a member of the European Parliament to act according to European regulation and STOP these EU-subsidies on bull-fighting was rejected by the EU's Budget Committee(!?) This time, in the plenary session of October the complete European Parliament will have to vote on amendment 6334, submitted by MEP Bas Eickhout to stop EU-subsidies on bullfighting! So as Europeans we have to let our voices be represented by our own national MEP's.

Detailed information http://www.greens-efa.eu/fileadmin/dam/Documents/Studies/2013-5%20Bullfighting%20subsidies%20report.pdf

Thank you!

Thank you for helping the suffering bulls and horses in the blood arena's of Spain, Portugal and France! It is time to stop the fun killing of beautiful, sentient and innocent fellow creatures!

Click here for the email adresses for your country

Please send your email with the text shown below

To: my representative in the European Parliament

Subject: upcoming plenary vote to stop subsidies for torturing and killing animals for fun

Dear Member of the European Parliament,

Coming Plenary Session, starting Monday October the 20^th, there will be a vote on amendment 6334 introduced by MEP Bas Eickhout. This amendment aims to end the subsidy of 129 million Euros every year towards the bull fighting industry. This part of the 'entertainment-industry' has breeders deliver bulls for a commercial but lethal spectacle without any relevance to agriculture.

Subsidizing amusement that leads to such horrible suffering of animals is abuse of EU money intended for agricultural purposes. The more unacceptable as European rules state that animals should not suffer from pain, injury, fear or distress.

As European animal friend, I do not want my money to be spent on festivities where animals are slowly tormented and tortured to death. More information on these acts – that have nothing to do with agriculture - can be found on http://www.stopfunkilling.eu

This yearly gift of 129 million euros for this wrongful purpose is a disgrace and has to be stopped now. With me millions of indignant EU citizens hope that you will vote in favor of amendment 6334 and thereby end this suffering of animals sustained by European subsidies.

Please inform me on your vote.

Kind regards,

[YourName, City - Country]

TIP: How do I send more than one email at once?

In your email software (such as Outlook) or your web based email (such as Live, Gmail) you make a new message. In the field [TO] (the receiver of your new email) you put your own email address. In [CC] or even better [BCC] you copy the email addresses of the Members of European Parliament for your country. Put in the [Subject] for instance: 'What are you going to vote to help suffering animals?' Sign the email with your own name, city and country. As text for your email you can use the provided text above, or make your own. Your email is now ready to send!

Click here for more things to do to help the bulls!