Green groups in Europe celebrated last night as the EU Parliament adopted an amendment to the 2016 budget that will bar those raising bulls for bullfights from accessing EU farm subsidies.

The motion, put forward by the European Greens, was passed with 438 votes in favour to 199 against and 50 abstentions in Wednesday’s plenary session.

Dutch Green MEP Bas Eickhout, who put forward the motion, said that for those raising bulls for fighting to receive agricultural subsidies goes against the EU Convention on the protection of animals. A decision to cut subsidies for bullfighting would save the EU an estimated €125 million (£90m) each year, and would mostly be felt in Spain.

In 2013, a report, “Toros & Taxes,” compiled by Spanish MEPs, concluded that bullfighting in Spain is being artificially maintained through the use of government and EU subsidies, and that “[w]ithout such backing [bullfighting] would probably be on the brink of financial collapse”.

Mimi Bekhechi, a director at animal rights group PETA, which supported the motion, said, “This is a hugely significant decision that could be the final nail in the coffin for Spain’s already struggling bullfighting industry. Tormenting bulls for entertainment belongs to the Dark Ages, not the 21st century, and today we’re one giant step closer to relegating this cruel pastime to the dustbin of history.”