A decision by a Spanish congressional commission to protect bullfighting by awarding it special cultural status has been condemned by animal rights groups which have decried the use of public funds for "unacceptable animal cruelty".

The legislation, which was passed by the congress's culture commission by 24 votes to six, with 14 abstentions, designates bullfighting as "part of the cultural heritage worthy of protection throughout the national territory". The bill now goes to a vote in the senate, expected later this month.

The governing rightwing People's party rejected most of the amendments to the proposal put forward by smaller opposition parties who strongly rejected the bill, while the main opposition party, the PSOE, abstained, saying it wanted neither to "ban nor promote" bullfighting.

A coalition of international animal protection organisations said: "Spain's government has signalled its support for unacceptable animal cruelty and the allowance of public funds used to assist the blood sport.

"This move is a cynical attempt by a desperate bullfighting industry to secure the future of this dying industry. Bullfighting is cruel and outdated and has no place in a modern society; culture stops where cruelty starts."

The organisations included the Humane Society International, World Society for the Protection of Animals, CAS International, League Against Cruel Sports, Peta and Torture is not Culture.

Marta Esteban, of Torture is not Culture, said: "The declaration of bullfighting as cultural patrimony in Spain … simply aims at the allocation of further public funds to support this decadent activity and to indoctrinate children with education on the 'virtues' of torturing and killing animals for entertainment."

Bullfighting has a long and bloody history going back to the Roman amphitheatres, but its modern incarnation in Spain is usually dated to 1726 when Francisco Romero began fighting on foot with a cape and sword.

Over the years bullrings were introduced to prevent bull or fighter from being cornered, and the event became embedded in Spanish culture. Juan Belmonte is seen as the father of the modern school, popularising the now common practice of drawing the bull close to him with a cape, in the mid-20th century.

But in recent years bullfighting's popularity has dwindled considerably as animal rights groups have raised awareness, leading to permanent bans in Catalonia and the Canary Islands. Figures released by the culture ministry revealed that bullfighting attendance is at an all-time low, and an Ipsos Mori poll this year suggest that 76% of Spaniards opposed the use of public funds to support bullfighting.