Bank of England faces legal battle with vegan activists over ‘meat-containing’ £5 and £10 notes

THE BANK of England is facing a legal battle after activists accused it of dealing in “blood money” over its decision to keep polymer notes which contain traces of cow fat.

The central Bank said it would be expensive and compromise anti-counterfeit measures to destroy or reprint the £5 notes or delay the issue of the new £10 notes set for release in September.

Vegan activist Doug Maw, 48, who collected over 134,000 signatures urging the recall of the new £5 notes in November, has hit out at the Bank’s decision.

The 48-year-old said he was “quite angry” about the decision, and is now working with the National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHT) to explore legal options.

He said: "The fact that they've decided to go ahead and not withdraw and continue (circulating the notes), means they are forcing people who have religious and ethical objections to use something that's against their religious beliefs and their ethical beliefs.

"I'm most definitely as of now looking at legal advice and we will definitely be bringing a test case against them because I'm pretty sure we will win it."

The decision comes just weeks after senior Bank staff met with the activist and the general secretary of the NCHT to discuss the new polymer notes.

The ruling also disappointed animal rights group PETA, which said: "The Bank of England is effectively dealing in blood money, and while it's not the most shocking case of cruelty to animals, there's no excuse for subsidising abattoirs to make a banknote."

The Bank revealed it has held off signing supply contracts for the new £20 note, which is set for release in 2020.

It plans on considering plant-based substitutes including coconut oil or palm oil as a replacement for the animal byproducts used in the £5 and £10 notes.

The Bank has already spent £24million printing 275million new £10 polymer notes since starting production in August, on top of the additional £46million spent on the £5 note.

Reprinting those notes with new materials would mean incurring those costs again, while destroying them would cost a further £50,000, the Bank said.

It added: "Delaying the issuance of the polymer £10 would also delay the benefits of the increased counterfeit resilience of polymer being achieved for the Bank and the public."

Hitting back, NCHT general secretary Satish K Sharma said the move signalled a “loss of religious and ethical freedom” and was “very problematic”.

He said it would hinder fundraising at temples which forbid animal products, and would also impact ceremonies where low denomination banknotes are given as part of the blessing.

The majority of Hindus are practicing vegetarians, and also avoid using materials with traces of animal products, cows in particular.

Mr Sharma said: "Knowing the ethical dilemmas for vegetarians and vegans, and the religious dilemmas that the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains are now being plunged into by their actions, they (the Bank) still chose not to make the changes.

"I think that's an unpleasant response. In this day in age that really isn't the way in which our governmental institutions and national institutions should be behaving."

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