One Year Before Their End, Bullfights in Colombia Receive a Few Banderillas

Bullfights and other practices that involve animal abuse in Colombia have one year of existence left. Law 2385 of 2024, known as the “No More Olé Law,” ordered that these shows must be definitively eradicated in July 2027, but before that happens, bullfighting has just received two banderillas.

In recent days, the National Government issued Decree 0703 of July 7, 2026, with new regulations established by the Ministries of Environment and Culture. Its purpose is to discourage this practice during the transition period established by Law 2385.

Use of instruments that cause injuries prohibited

The new decree highlights the prohibition on the use of pointed elements, known as banderillas, or electric devices to force the movement of the animal during loading, unloading, transfer to pens, and passage to the bullfighting area, and extends that prohibition to before and during the event, without exceptions.

According to Senator Esmeralda Hernandez, author of the law, this “means that, from now on, no bull may be riddled with weapons or slaughtered in the arena.”

“The event organizer will be responsible for implementing the conditions established here as part of the technical requirements for holding the event, in coordination with the corresponding veterinary team,” states the Decree.

The new regulation also reduces the territorial scope for holding bullfighting activities. They may only take place in locations where they constitute an uninterrupted tradition of the population. The decree specifies that this continuity is broken when, since 2010, these events stopped being held in the territory for at least one calendar year.

“The holding of bullfights, rejoneo, novilladas, becerradas and tientas must be limited to the precise occasion on which they have usually taken place, and may not be extended to other times of the year or places other than those where their traditional practice takes place,” the decree states.

Minors cannot participate

On the other hand, the new regulation prohibits the participation of minors in the bullring. No person under 18 years of age may act as a bullfighter, banderillero, rejoneador, matador, novillero, apprentice, or trainee, regardless of whether they are Colombian or foreign.

This restriction is joined by the ban on minors entering these shows and the prohibition on using public resources to build facilities intended for their development. The decree turns these limits into mandatory compliance conditions during the period prior to the entry into force of the definitive prohibition.

Regarding animal welfare, the document requires prior certification from the veterinary team confirming the absence of blows, injuries, fractures, or wounds in the animals.

“There must be a certified veterinary team with assistants, responsible for monitoring animal health, preparing clinical records, and deciding on the removal of animals that suffer serious injuries,” the Ministries of Environment and Culture warn in the decree.

In addition, the regulation prohibits authorities from allocating public resources for the construction, development, or financing of bullfighting activities.

Those who violate the new provisions for holding bullfights in Colombia will face sanctions. If non-compliance with the established requirements is identified during the development of the bullfighting event, the authority or officials present must immediately suspend the activity.

The obligation that bullfighting event advertising explain that it is an animal exploitation activity and also promote welfare and protection activities was also regulated.

“After many days of work with the National Government, we managed to move forward with this regulation that seeks to discourage this terrible form of abuse, while respecting the transition established in our law,” Senator Hernandez stated. “Every day one step closer to the abolition of cruel animal shows in Colombia.”

The new rules apply to shows that will no longer be allowed to take place from July 2027, such as bullfights, rejoneo, novilladas, becerradas, tientas, corralejas, cockfights, and coleo.

In Latin America, countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Guatemala have banned these practices, while in other places they remain in force, such as Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, France, and Portugal.