Sinaloa Congress overturns veto that permitted bullfighting

A veto that permitted bullfighting in Sinaloa was thrown out on Tuesday in a unanimous vote in the state Congress.

Reforms to the state’s animal rights bill were first passed in January 2021, which outlawed bullfighting and defined the spectacle as an act of animal cruelty.

However, in April former governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel vetoed the part of the bill that banned bullfighting.

Ordaz finished his term on October 31 and now his amendments have now been repealed, meaning those found guilty of animal cruelty — including bullfighting — could face six years in prison or fines.

The bill’s approval will also see new animal welfare centers created in the state.

The reforms do not cover the sacrificial killings of slaughter animals, controversial equestrian sports or cockfighting, as the state legislature said they were federal matters.

Ordaz had argued that the reforms were ambiguous, given that bullfighting was to be banned, but other violent animal sports would remain legal.

A deputy who promoted the bill, Pedro Villegas Lobo, said it was necessary to give prison sentences for animal abuse rather than fines.

But Ordaz might not have to wait long to see another bullfight: his name was put forward as ambassador to Spain by President López Obrador in September.

With reports from El Sol de Sinaloa