“I think that the work of brave ranchers is wonderful, and must be known and valued by society. This is the great objective of the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Royal Union of Bull Builders of Lidia (Ructl), founded in 1905: to focus on dignifying the bull and the effort of its raises.”
Lucía Martín (40 years old) is a Valladolid journalist who began working in communication tasks 18 years ago at the national headquarters of the leading organization of the ranchers of Bravas, and since February of this year she is the executive director of the entity, mostly formed by men in which she leads a team with an outstanding female presence.
Without ever abandoning press releases and media relations, he has long acquired institutional responsibilities and has held a leading role in the negotiations of the most serious issues that concern the sector. Hence, the promotion approved by the entity’s board of directors only recognizes the merits of its trajectory.
And as such executive director, Lucía Martín states that “offering social visibility to farmers” is their main occupation in the year of the anniversary.
The image of Spain abroad is the bull; His valid, the farmer, receives nothing for it; If we were talking about England, it would be the ‘pear’ “
“A good farmer is a genius, with a great capacity for work, a clear business objective and a very precise idea of the bull that wants to raise,” he says. “And to all this we must add a good dose of passion and romanticism, because a rancher Bravo is for fans and never for profitability.”
Ask. Is being a livestock a ruinous business?
Answer. No, but it is not how sustainable it should be. It is profitable only for a few, which is unfair, because the farmer takes care and retains a unique race in the world. The image of Spain abroad is the bull; His valler is the farmer and receives nothing for it. I am convinced that if we were talking about England, it would be The pear.
“The great challenge of the Union is to publicize the non -public life of the bull,” continues the executive director; “Teach the four or five years of parenting in those 500,000 hectares of high natural value, an authentic five -star hotel, and the quiet work of the farmer to raise a unique animal. We have not known how to tell that the life of the bull goes far beyond the twenty minutes that lasts its fight in the square. The citizen does not know what happens in the field, and we have the obligation to tell it.”
P. Perhaps, the general impression is that the farmers of the Union are part of an elite club with a certain social range …
R. Livestock is a hobby which is generally maintained by family romanticism, and certainly offers a mode of social positioning. The Bravo bull grants a touch of distinction, as is the case with the breeding of horses. But, without losing that detail, we must seek proximity to society, and, especially, with the young public. One of the challenges that move me the most is the work that remains to be done in schools. The bull does not appear in the textbooks, and it makes no sense to study the urogallo and the brown bear and not the bull. We know that it is not an easy mission, but fundamental.
The European Union is one of the great concerns of the ranchers of Bravas cattle, and perhaps it is the institution to which the most effort and attention has dedicated the RUCTL in recent years. Without a doubt, Brussels is the hardest bone for ranchers of brave bulls. Lucía Martín knows well the problems derived from the common agricultural policy (PAC) and the strategy to be followed by her associates.
“It’s the hardest bone, yes, but due to ignorance,” he says. “The absence of information is a land paid for topics and negative messages,” he adds, “and from this the antitaurin parties with representation in the European Parliament have benefited. Hence the importance of the proximity to the Eurodiputados.”
Lucía Martín remarks that 80 percent of the regulations to the farmers are determined by Brussels, sufficient reason to launch a strategy.
The great challenge of the RUCTL is to publicize the non -public life of the bull ”
“When you have constant attention the results are noticed,” he says. “Until five years ago, nobody represented us in the European Union, and our position was defensive against attacks,” he continues; “Now we have a permanent external team, which is key to keeping us informed and not going to tow the issues that affect us.”
P. But there is no specific community policy about Brava livestock.
R. Of course not. The brave rancher is one more in the PAC. And it only receives subsidies for being a breeder of a nurse cow in extensive, without any relation to bullfighting. What is meaningless is that animalists permanently propose a clear discrimination towards our sector. This is understood, for example, that, sometimes, Brussels has legislated since ignorance and has generated rules impossible to apply.
P. By the way, in the memory of 2024 there are no terms as bullfighting as trapío, caste, transmission, fierce, and others such as green bull, environment, cultural heritage …
R. That is another way to approach society. Concepts such as trapío are typical of the sector, they are part of our culture and should be maintained, but we work on projects aligned with the new directions of society, and we cannot stay out.
P. And it is also said “we are the house of the bull.”
R. Clear. We are the house of the bull, but we could also call ourselves the house of bullfighting, because the bull is the fundamental axis of the party.
P. And you never wanted to be a bullfighter?
R. No. I have just followed a bullfighting course and to work for the bull, which also involves its risks …