Spain spends Europe's funds on teaching kids how to hunt

The Spanish government keeps asking Europe for money but, meanwhile, is funding hunting lessons for schoolchildren between 7 and 12 in the amount of 303,000€.  At the same time, the Spanish government has already gone ahead with cuts to more than 250 social, cultural, and educational initiatives at schools.

An agreement was signed in 2010 by the environmental policies minister and the hunting federation spokesman, a former member of the military. In the program, children are taught how to hunt because, according to the former military officer, “young hunting fans are very rare to find, mainly due to a total lack of hunting knowledge and the increasing number of restrictive rules, such as permits for the underage to obtain firearms, which in the end just prevent the new generations from hunting.”

According to its promoters, the goal of the class is “to keep the hunting hobby alive.” This campaign includes hunting theory lessons at school, as well as “hands on training,” which means the use of firearms. Environmental organizations have condemned these activities because they contribute to “teaching schoolchildren to kill for fun.”