AGL

It could be considered that the first bull breeding farms were created at the end of the 17th century, coinciding with the evolution of bull throwing in public squares to what would be the seed of our current “Fiesta de Toros” (Bullfighting). It is true that the associative character of the bravo ranchers was conspicuous by its absence in the first centuries of activity, only at the beginning of the 20th century the first steps were taken in Andalusia and then in the rest of Spain, but in any case it was neither the majority nor was there any continuity over time.

The advent of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 and the subsequent Civil War meant difficult times for the countryside, which logically had repercussions for the bull farmers. In the conception of the new Spanish State, which emerged after the war, all activities had to be necessarily integrated in the vertical and unique trade unionism for each business activity. In this way, all bullfighting farmers were obliged to join a trade union in order to be able to carry out livestock farming activities. In such a way, two large groups or breeders associations appeared, on the one hand what today is the “Real Unión de Criadores de Toros de Lidia” and on the other hand, from 1951, what today is the “Asociación de Ganaderías de Lidia” (Fighting Bull Breeders Association).

The “1962 Bullfighting Spectacles Regulations”, which governed our “Fiesta” for so many years, makes it very clear in its article 89 the equal rights of all bull ranchers to deal with all kinds of bullfighting celebrations “corridas”, “novilladas”, etc. Proof of this is that our Association belonged, with full rights and since its creation by Ministerial Order of the Presidency of the Government on 11th December 1968, to the Registry of the Birth Registry of Lidia Cattle, the only Official Body in this sector until the creation of the Fighting Bovine Breed Family Tree in the nineties. With the arrival of freedom of association and trade unionism in 1977, the Breeders’ Union and the Lidia Livestock Association became professional organizations under the new legislation, with the Association being registered on 26th October and the Unión on 3rd November of the same year, 1977, respectively.