Vegans and vegetarians are calling on the Bank of England to scrap the new £5 note after it was revealed to contain traces of animal fat.
Responding to a question on Twitter, the UK's central bank confirmed that the notes contain tallow, a substance made from animal fat often used in soap and candles.
The news sparked outrage among vegans and vegetarians, leading to the creation of a petition calling on the Bank of England to remove tallow from the new polymer notes, released in September.
Doug Maw, of Keswick in Cumbria, started the petition, which has garnered more than 13,500 signatures, and 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 said.
'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.
Thousands have signed the petition since its creation on Monday. 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.'
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 3:30 pm
