Britain had released a new 5 pound note in September. The new polymer bill notes were stronger, safer and eco-friendly.
Many people were calling for the withdrawal of the new notes as the Bank of England confirmed on twitter that the new bill contain traces of tallow- a hard fatty substance made from rendered beef or mutton fat.
Outraged vegans across the UK have started an online petition calling on the Bank of England to stop the production of new notes.
The petition, signed by more than 1,13,000 people, said that £5 note was unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians in the U.K. and usage of animal products in currency production should be ceased.
A large number of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Vegans and others came took to twitter to voice against the new note.
A Sikh activist also launched a petition, which has attracted 100,000 signatures to ban the currency from temples, Express reported.
Saying it is treating the issue with utmost seriousness, the bank released an official statement “”We are aware of some people’s concerns about traces of tallow in our new £5 note. We respect those concerns and are treating them with the utmost seriousness.”
“This issue has only just come to light, and the Bank did not know about it when the contract was signed,” the bank added.
