English

CAMPAIGN L’ABOLICIÓ DELS CORREBOUS DE CATALUNYA
#ILP Abolició Correbous

Who are we?

The Coordinadora per l’Abolició dels Correbous de Catalunya (called CAC from now on) is a platform of different animal rights organizations and individuals who are sensitive to the injustices animals face and who are activists for both social and animal justice. They are the heart and soul of the CAC. 

The CAC began in the Spring of 2013 and has been investigating in a low-profile style so as to be able to do field-work in all the different towns where correbous events are held.
The CAC opted not to report any infringements of the regulations because other entities who had reported them in the past had regularly had their reports filed away by the authorities. We sincerely believe that the route to the prohibition of the correbous is not to be found in the courts of law, but in the Catalan Parliament, the Parliament which wrote and approved the correbous regulations in the first place.

So, on the 20th of November 2016, the CAC symbolically met in the old bull-ring in Tarragona, now called the Tarraco Arena Plaça, to sign the “Declaració de Tarragona”; members signed a document stating the intention of organizing an ILP (Popular Legislative Initiative).

While the field-work investigations were taking place, the CAC held a number of meetings – open assemblies – in different parts of Catalunya to explain the long-term objectives. The first of these meetings took place in Tortosa on the 19th of January 2014. Others meetings, held between 2014 and 2017, include Amposta, Mora d’Ebre, Gandesa, Barcelona and Tarragona. On the 20th of Abril, 2017, in Cardona, members of the CAC announced that the ILP process had begun and that the proposed draft of the law prohibiting the correbous had been handed in to the Catalan Parliament for approval.

The history of the defence of animal-rights continues and it is up to us to write this history ourselves. The CAC is you and you are the CAC and we need you more than ever to finish, once and for all, tauromàquia in Catalunya.

What are correbous?

Translated literally, “correbous” means “ox run”. In Catalunya “correbous” is the generic name for all the different kinds of traditional fiestas and events with cattle; in other words, a popular celebration where heifers, calves, bulls and cows are involved in the events (correbous are part of what is called tauromàquia menor). 

In contrast to bullfighting (tauromàquia major), the result of the correbous is not meant to be the death of the animal; some animals are used over and over again while others go to the slaughter house after the event has finished. However, the animals suffer in innumerable ways: being transported, being penned in, being hit, being prodded with an electric rod, being made fun of, feeling stressed, feeling exhausted, feeling afraid, being exposed to crowds, loud music, noise and fire, etc. Ocasionally, every year, a number of animals do die during the events, sometimes from exhaustion, sometimes from a traumatic fall, sometimes from bangin their heads against hard surfaces found in the ring or the streets. And regularly there are accidents where people are hurt and even occasionally killed. These traditions have no place in the twenty-first centruy. Animals should not be used as entertainment. Gratuitous suffering is simply wrong.

Despite the abolition of bullfighting in Catalunya in 2010 (ILP Prou!) and the abolition of correbous in various municipalities, fiestas with correbous are still legal. They are regulated undeer the law 1st October, 34/2010. Interestingly, article 6.1 (legislative decree 2/2008 of 15/April Animal Protection Law), prohibits the use of animals in fights and spectacles or in other activities or events where the animals are made to suffer or are the object of bullying or an anti-natural treatment and also where the spectators’ feelings might be hurt. Nevertheless, article 6.2 (of the same legislative decree 2/2008) makes an exception of the fiestas using cattle without death, i.e. correbous, on those certain dates and in those particular towns where they are traditional.

Various towns in Catalunya organize correbous. Historically, the first written reference to the correbous is to the town of Cardona (El Bàges) in the XV century. Nowadays, most of the correbous take place in the southern towns in the Terres de l’Ebre, especially in the Baix Ebre and Montsià areas. There are also correbous in central Catalunya (Cardona and Santpedor) and in Vidreres in Girona province. Recently, the town councils of Roses, Olot and Torroella de Mongrí (Girona province) have abolished their correbous.

What is an ILP?

An ILP (Popular Legislative Initiative) is a process which the Constitution provides for a group of citizens to be able to present a bill to be debated in the Congress or Parliament. It is a key piece of legislation within the democratic system. The group of citizens hand in the text of the bill they wish to be studied. If the text meets the requirements, they need to collect 50,000 validated signatures in favour of the bill. Subsequently, experts from either side of the issue speak to the Parliamentry committee and finally the debate moves to Parliament and a vote is taken. 

The ILP process is regulated by the law 1/2006 (16.02.2006) in Catalunya, which, in turn, is part of the Organic Law 3/1984 (26.03.1984).

Why is an ILP necessary in order to abolish the Correbous?

The CAC, which is the group of citizens coordinating the ILP to abolish correbous, has decided to organize an ILP to put an end to all the different types of correbous that take place in Catalunya to guarantee the protection of animals and to put an end to cruel traditions.  We believe that, on their own, the members of Parliament will not introduce this modification of the law as it is not high on their list of priorities. However, we believe that the present configuration of parties and MPs would vote in favour of this ILP and we believe that the majority of the population of Catalunya is in favour of this abolition. In conclusion, we believe that this initiative is viable and is necessary.
We invite you to join us and prevent this totally unnecessary form of animal suffering!

What do we need and how can you help us?

Donate directly to our bank account: 
Under the new fiscal reform law, small donations to NGO’s are encouraged by reducing your tax bill. You get a 75%reduction for the first 150 euros you donate. So if you donate 100euros, 75 euros is returned to you by the tax people. For donations over 150 euros, the reduction is 30% and for repeated donations (three years is the maximum) the reduction is 40%.

Financial support through the online www.migranodearena.org  

Banc de Sabadell: 7492 64 9056 1038564789

Messages of support on our Facebook page and in Twitter 

We need dozens of people who register to collect bonafide signatures. 

What is a “fedetari”? A fedetari is a person who registers at the Catalan Parliament as a bonafide collector of authenticated signatures. Literally, it means that you promise that the signatures you have collected are real and authentic.

If you live in Catalonia, we need people to hold territorial meetings/events to publicize the ILP and people to help the territorial leaders.

Comments are closed