Banknote tallow protests palmed away by BOE

PLASTIC banknotes will continue to be made with a trace of tallow as the Bank of England has rejected calls to change production to use palm oil or another nonanimal fat.

The new fivers – and soon the new £20 note – contain a tiny amount of the material as part of the production process. An outcry from some vegan and religious groups led the Bank to look for alternatives, and palm oil appeared to be the most likely contender. However, that too has ethical problems as it would be difficult for the Bank to reliably get sufficient quantities of the oil from sustainable sources. Palm oil has a record of coming from plantations that are deemed to cause environmental harm.

More than 3,500 people responded to the Bank’s consultation, 88pc of whom objected to the use of animal fat derivatives in the production of the banknotes. However, 48pc opposed palm oil usage, and in an overlap 31pc opposed the use of both fats.

Furthermore, the Bank’s report discovered that many British shoppers were already using plastics containing traces of tallow on a daily basis with little complaint, including in cosmetics, plastic carrier bags, household detergent bottles, and car parts. The report added: “They are also used in the production of plastics commonly used in alternative payment mechanisms, e.g. debit and credit cards and mobile phones.”

On the plus side, the polymer notes last longer than the paper versions, meaning fewer have to be made and so the environmental cost is lower overall.

The Bank of England is obstinately sticking to the use of animal fat in making new plastic notes. They will, it says, contain only one part in 2,000 derived from tallow. But have officials not read the history of the Indian Mutiny (or First War of Independence, as many Indians call it)? In 1857, the new Enfield rifle used cartridges that had to be bitten open. Rumour went round that they were greased with lard or beef tallow, putting both Muslim and Hindu sepoys in a rage. Of course, few people chew plastic fivers, though Mark Carney, the Bank’s Governor, bizarrely dipped one into curry for the cameras. Strict vegetarians now learn that even plastic credit cards contain tallow traces. So if the Bank won’t make paper money, the tender of conscience, it seems, will have to go back on to the gold standard.