Ecotricity is launching the world’s first vegan electricity.

The Stroud-based energy company does not buy electricity or gas from animal related sources and has now been provided with Vegan Society registration.

More than half of Britain’s homes are powered by animal by-products.

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, said: “For millions of Britons there’s a secret ingredient in their power. Energy companies big, small, brown and green are using the by-products of factory farming to make electricity and gas.

“It shouldn’t be a secret any more than the ingredients in the food we buy should be secret. Energy suppliers need to come clean.

“It’s not just the Big Six energy companies guilty of this – many independents and those who call themselves ‘ethical’ or ‘green’ are doing it too, rather shamefully.

“Electricity and gas might seem to be an unlikely place to find the things many of us want to avoid – but it’s there.”

Last year Big Six energy supplier SSE admitted it used dead salmon from factory fish farms in Scotland to generate some of its power.

Small green suppliers Good Energy and Bulb generate some of their energy using pig slurry.

Chantelle Adkins, head of business development at The Vegan Society, said: “Animals are needlessly used in almost every area of life, and electricity is sadly not an exception. As vegans, we strive to avoid all animal use, it’s disheartening when we’re not able to do so.

“We hope that by highlighting the use of animal by-products to generate electricity we can help people realise just how widespread animal use is in our society and inspire them to avoid it.”

For more information about vegan power visit ecotricity.co.uk/vegan.