Anger as Bank of England plastic £5 notes contain traces of animal fat

A PETITION has been launched after it was revealed that the Bank of England’s new polymer £5 notes contain traces of animal fat.

It comes as a shock to many that the notes contain tallow– a hard substance which is made from rendered animal fat that has long been used in the making of things like soap and candles.

The discovery was made when Twitter user Steffi Rox asked the Bank via social media about rumours of tallow being present.

The Bank’s official account replied directly confirming they do contain a “trace” of the product.

there is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes

— Bank of England (@bankofengland) November 28, 2016

WHY?! It's 2016!

— Laura de Ruiter (@LEdeRuiter) November 28, 2016

https://twitter.com/vanterheyden/status/803528330922393600

At the time of writing, the petition launched has received over seven thousand signatures.

It calls on the bank to “cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use.”

Doug Maw, of Keswick in Cumbria, who started the petition, said he has been left “disgusted”.

“I understand old notes contain stuff as well – we can’t do anything about what is in circulation – but the fact they are producing new ones is what really riles me,” he told the Press Association.

“There is no excuse for it. There has got to be other ways of making money without using animal products.”

The 47-year-old hotel worker, who has been a vegan for 20 years, said he will “absolutely” be boycotting and “refusing” the new notes.

Mr Maw said he was “surprised” by how many people have committed their name to it.

“I don’t think anything will happen about what has already been made, but I just hope they produce new ones without using animal fats,” he said.

“It is the Bank of England – can’t they come up with something a little bit more modern? Now there’s a huge amount of people that eat a plant-based diet or are vegan. They are not just disrespecting a tiny minority.”

On the use of tallow, he said: “It is incredibly disrespectful – we have no choice with money. We have to use it. They issue it through ATMs and hand them to us in shops.

“If we refuse them and they haven’t got anything else, what are we going to do? Basically, we are being forced to have animal products on us.”

He said he has started a second petition on the UK Government petition site, which is awaiting authorisation, in a bid to get the issue debated and addressed.

A spokeswoman from the Bank of England said: “We can confirm that the polymer pellet from which the base substrate is made contains a trace of a substance known as tallow.

“Tallow is derived from animal fats (suet) and is a substance that is also widely used in the manufacture of candles and soap.”

New Bank of England plastic £5 note set to enter circulation