THE new £5 notes contain traces of animal fat the Bank of England has confirmed.
The news has sparked outrage from vegans and vegetarians after it was revealed the cash contains tallow, a substance made from animal fat.
GETTY IMAGES
GETTY IMAGES
It came to light when the Bank of England replied to a question on Twitter regarding the make up of the notes, the Telegraph reports.
They confirmed: “There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.”
It caused a social media backlash with users deeming it “disgraceful”, “gross” and a “disappointing”.
Others called for a review into the way the note is made.
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition to remove tallow from the new currency.
The petition, started by Doug Maw, said: “This is unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians in the U.K.
“We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use.”
The new plastic £5 notes marked a new era for British banknotes and have extra security features to prevent forgeries.
Printed on polymer, a thin and flexible plastic, they are scheduled to replace paper fivers by May, 2017.
Earlier this month it was revealed ticket machines were struggling with the change in shape and material.
Hey @bankofengland can you please confirm if it is true that the new £5 contain animal fat (Tallow). This is a real cause for concern
@Thunderoad75 Hi Annie, there is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.
GETTY IMAGES
A Sun investigation also revealed that while the new banknote was promoted as being twice as durable as previous bills, an experiment found that almost the entire note can be rubbed out with a normal pencil eraser.
The notes, which bear a portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, are 15 per cent smaller than the paper notes they are replacing and are said to last more than twice as long.
Because they are plastic, they are difficult to tear and can survive being put through the washing machine and other spills.
A smaller plastic £10 note featuring novelist Jane Austen will go into circulation next summer and a £20 polymer note, featuring the artist JMW Turner, is due by 2020.
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