There are several components to bullbar testing, crumple zone effects is just one. How a pedestrian is affected by them is another - that's why there's so much noise about the 5-poster bars. The argument goes like this:
Road authority: "If you hit a pedestrian with a 5-poster bar, they'll be snapped over the top of the bar and will suffer more significant injuries as a result, whereas the approved bar allows the pedestrian to fold more gently over the bar and not suffer as badly - that's also why fishing rod holders can't be mounted on the bullbars"
5-poster owner: "I need the protection offered by the 5-poster to protect me from zombie kangaroos. If they're dumb enough to be on the road when I'm comin' past, they deserve to have their guts ripped out by mah fishin' rod holders!".
What's so surprising is that these things haven't been clamped down on years ago. The laws are changing slowly, but there's a lot of resistance. Unfortunately the talk of "nanny state" is often true, but balanced by the few idiots that consider excessive variations from what is safer for all.
Society will find a decent balance. Not today, not tomorrow, but we'll eventually get there.