Skip to content
CityAM
Main navigation
  • News
    • News
      • Latest Business News
      • Economics
      • Politics
      • Tech
      • Banking
      • FTSE 100 Live
      • Retail
      • Insurance
      • Legal
      • Property
      • Transport
      • Markets
    • From our partners
      • AON
      • Bayes Business School
      • Canada BIDs
      • Central London Alliance CIC
      • Destination City
      • Halkin
      • Olympia
      • Inside Saudi
      • Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
      • Santander X
      • YEAR SIX Dividend
    • Featured

      Strait of Hormuz closed over ceasefire violations, says Iran

      Aerial view of ships navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz, highlighting its importance to global maritime trade routes

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Opinion
  • Sport
    • Latest Sports News
      • Sport
      • Sport Business
    • From our partners
      • The Morning Briefing: SBS x CityAM
      • Aramco Team Series
      • LIV Golf
    • Featured

      Platitudes in women’s sport are empty, patronising and offensive

      Business professionals in a conference room discussing strategy with a presentation screen displaying key market trends.

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Life&Style
    • Life&Style
      • Life&Style
      • Toast the City Awards
      • The Magazine
      • Travel
      • Culture
      • Motoring
      • Wellness
      • The RED BULLETiN
      • Do it with Shared Ownership
      • Media Speak Hub
    • Featured

      Fogo de Chao nominated for Best Casual Dining Toast award

      Fogo de Chão restaurant exterior with vibrant signage and bustling entrance at popular city location

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Investec
  • Events
  • Latest Paper
Tuesday 29 November 2016 2:31 pm

Bank of England branded “disgraceful” for using animal fat in £5 bank notes

By: Helen Cahill

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Bank of England has been branded "disgraceful" for using a form of animal fat, called tallow, in its new £5 bank notes.

The bank admitted using the material on Twitter. Mark "Carnivore" Carney has not yet waded into a debate that is giving a whole new meaning to the term "Capitalist Pigs".

Read more: Bank of England official hits back at Theresa May over low interest rates

Carney famously rubbed salt in the wound when he dipped the new £5 note in the remains of a dead animal at a food stall in Canada (pictured above). It's like he doesn't even care. 

The spat started when a tweeter going by the name Annie Walker asked: "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."

The Bank of England responded, sparking a vicious Twitter argument.

Hi Annie, there is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.

— Bank of England (@bankofengland) November 28, 2016

The Vegans of Luton responded, saying: "This is disgraceful."

Connie Weatherill said: "this is disgraceful! How is this legal?!"

To which a man called Mark replied:

Maybe because using animal products is legal? Just a hunch though.

— Mark (@Mark_Ingoe) November 29, 2016

The argument has now moved on to its logical conclusion; a change.org petition has been launched, by a Doug Mauw, apparently from Hawes.

The petition reads: "The new £5 notes contain animal fat in the form of tallow. This is unacceptable to millions of vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others in the U.K.

Read more: Major bank shares fall with shareholders stressed ahead of stress tests

"We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use."

The petition now has 12,781 vocal supporters.

Jeannie Ford, London, UK, wrote on the comment feed: "I DON'T WANT ANIMAL PRODUCTS IN BANK NOTES."

Martha McCoss, also from London, wrote: "Surely theres substitutes and materials that can do the exact same thing, even before i was vegan id think what the f*** why is this needed!"

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • Markets & Economics
  • News

Categories

  • Business
  • Economics

Trending Articles

  • As it happened: Stocks sink after Fed and Bank of England opt for hawkish hold; Oil price tumbles

  • FTSE 100 Live: Pound dips and stocks slip as Andy Burnham victory triggers political uncertainty

  • City investors raise alarm on Burnham’s Chancellor pick

  • Inheritance tax enquiries surge to six-year high after HMRC clampdown

  • More Big Four blues as Deloitte plans to slash UK audit roles

More from CityAM

  • Ministers to be handed ‘statutory powers’ to steer regulator’s growth agenda

    Regulation
    Breaking news report on current events with a focus on general topics and business insights
  • Bank of England says quantitative easing programme to cost taxpayer £125bn

    Economics
    The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates at four per cent due to stubbornly high inflation.
  • Gilt rout sparks calls for Bank of England to slow ‘unusual’ bond sale programme

    Economics
    The Bank of England is expected to go ahead with an interest rate cut despite high inflation.
  • Bank of England’s Bailey: Interest rates hike may not be needed

    Economics
    Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, used his speech to stress the importance of effective regulation. Credit: Henry Nicholls/PA Wire
  • Top Bank of England officials warn Reeves against supermarket price cap

    Economics
    Bank of England officials addressing the Treasury Committee during a meeting, discussing economic policies and financial o...
  • Bank of England’s Breeden: Digital gilt will bring down borrowing costs

    Economics
    Bank of England deputy governor Breeden discusses economic policies during a press conference
  • Starmer: X is responsible for fake Farage and Bailey fight images 

    Politics
    Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman in discussion at a political event wearing formal attire, highlighting political collabo...
  • Bank of England unveils Armageddon stress test scenario ‘more severe than the financial crisis’

    Regulation
    bank of england

CityAM Canada — business, markets and opinion for Canadian readers.

Sections

  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • AI
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Cities

Company

  • About
  • Contact

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 CityAM Canada. All rights reserved.
Terms · Privacy · Cookies