 have announced they intend to keep the new five pound notes, despite outrage from Vegetarians over a trace of animal fat.){kind=link}
The Bank of England (BoE) have announced that they will not make any changes to the production of new five pound notes, despite outrage from vegetarians after they were found to contain traces of animal fat.
The newly circulated five pound notes attracted controversy back in December, after the notes were found to contain traces of ‘tallow’ found in its polymer fibre.
At the time of the discovery, the Bank acknowledged the presence of the product, issuing a statement saying:
“We can confirm that the polymer pellet from which the base substrate is made contains a trace of a substance known as tallow.”
The bank also confirmed that it was engaged in talks with its supplier to find a potential solution, after opposition mounted from animal activists and vegetarians. A petition urging the bank to withdraw tallow products and the notes from circulation attracted just under 135,000 signatures.
However, following ‘careful consideration’, the BoE announced on Wednesday that it intends to continue with production of £5 banknotes alongside the upcoming production of the new £10, which is of a similar composition. The bank cited cost factors as a key reason for the decision to not withdraw the currency from operation.
The central bank commented on the matter: “The Bank works hard to ensure that the public has enough secure notes to use in daily life and destroying the hundreds of millions of notes already printed would put this at risk. The Bank cannot guarantee sufficient stocks of paper notes to replace the destroyed polymer notes.”
In response to the announcement, The Vegan Society issued a statement about the BoE decision. Dominika Piasecka, a spokesperson for the society, commented:
“While it is unfortunate that the new £10 note will contain tallow, The Vegan Society is pleased that the Bank of England has been transparent in their response to this important issue, and has taken the beliefs of the public into consideration. We have met with the Bank of England and believe they are committed to solving this problem and we will continue to work with them to find a good solution.”
Prior to the controversy and in celebration of the newly designed banknote, the BoE created a website detailing the features of the new issue. It has stated that the new polymer plastic design are “cleaner, more secure, and more durable than paper banknotes.”
“They will provide enhanced counterfeit resilience, and increase the quality of banknotes in circulation”, it added on its organisation website.
The new £10 note is set to enter circulation in September, and is to feature novelist Jane Austen on the face. The selection of Jane Austen to be printed on both banknotes and coins is to mark the first female to do so, other than the Queen.