Bank of England vows to make new fiver meat-free

After facing down apparent attacks from the government this autumn, the Bank of England is now the subject of a backlash from an altogether more surprising source.

Vegetarians and vegans are protesting against the new plastic £5, triggering a social media storm and anonline petition that has garnered close to 120,000 signatures. So what's all the fuss about?

Why are vegetarians angry?

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Because the polymer used to make the new plastic banknotes contains tallow - that's the "waxy white fat that's typically made from the kidneys and loins of cows, sheep and horses", says CNN.

It's easy to see why people who avoid eating products made from animals are suddenly up in arms over having to pay using money made from animals.

How did this come to light?

Rumours had been circulating about the notes, prompting one user to ask the Bank of England on Twitter. Its official account responded that, yes, the new fiver does contain tallow.

Why is there meat in currency?

The Bank of England buys the plastic from a company called Innovia Films, which also supplies polymer notes to 23 other countries.

It said the substance is used by one of its suppliers to make the material more "anti-static".

Both Innovia and the Bank of England deny knowing tallow was present in the polymer before the furore broke out.

CNN cites a spokesperson for Innovia saying it would be a "fair assessment" that tallow is present in all of the notes made from its material around the world.

How big is the problem?

According to Morgan Harries, writing on Vice, by the time the plastic £5 note is the only version in circulation, the amount of tallow used will collectively account for "just over half of one cow".

This is based on some speculative maths, involving multiplying the quantity of tallow in each note (a trace, or "less than 100 parts per million") by the average note weight (0.02oz) – and comparing this with a rough average weight of the useable fat offcuts in a typical cow (88lbs).

However, the amount is immaterial for the protestors – for example, Hindus are not allowed to used anything that has been made using a cow, which is considered sacred.

So what happens now?

Something will have to be done. According to an article from The Independent this year, more than one in ten adults in Britain are vegetarian or vegan.An online petition calling for the end of the use of tallow had reached close to 120,000 signatures by this afternoon.

The Bank of England said it is treating the concerns with "utmost seriousness", says the BBC, and that Innovia is working on "potential solutions". Essentially, it is promising a move to a meat-free fiver.

Innovia has said its supplier is "looking to eliminate" the product, but that "that will take time".

And in the meantime?

Many vegetarians and vegans have said they will not use the new note and will refuse it in change. However, tallow is expected to be used for the new £10 note next year. Avoiding that too would make life very difficult indeed.