A firm managing bullfights at Seville’s bullring is to give free tickets to children under eight, adding to a national debate about the controversial Spanish tradition. The company, Pages, said adult spectators with a ticket for the “novilladas” – practice bullfights involving younger bulls – at Seville’s Maestranza may be accompanied by a child free of charge, which it said was “the best way to introduce the little ones” to the world of bullfighting. José Enrique Zaldívar, who heads the Spanish Association of Veterinarians for the Abolition of Bullfighting, said attracting children was an attempt to regain a declining audience. “We think it’s wrong that young children are allowed to attend these shows because watching animals suffer can cause psychological damage,” he added. Supporters of bullfighting, in which the animal is usually killed by a sword thrust by a matador (“killer”), believe the tradition should be preserved, while critics say it is a cruel ritual with no place in modern society. This week’s announcement by Pages came just days after the Spanish ministry of culture abolished its national bullfighting award over concern about animal welfare, prompting a rebuke from fans and the conservative opposition who see it as an art form and a staple of national identity. The ministry of culture declined to comment on Pages’ campaign. Animal rights party Pacma said it welcomed the award’s elimination but also called for an end to public subsidies to bullfighting foundations and related breeders, which it said amounted to nearly €6m (£5m) between 2020 and 2024.