The iconic Australian tradition has long “excluded” the nation’s vegans, but now they are fighting back. 

More than 8000 people have rallied together, pleading with the hardware giant to introduce meatless sausages to their barbecues. 

It comes amid the Bunnings sausage’s rise to super stardom, with drones being used to collect them and the booking list for groups to hold a sizzle extending beyond six months. 

Dean Maher, who created the petition, said vegan sausages leave a smaller “environmental footprint” than their meaty counterparts. 

“Not only are vegan sausages delicious but they are healthier, have a much smaller environmental footprint and no innocent animal had to suffer,” he said.

“For long enough the vegans of Australia have had to simply walk past the iconic sausage sizzle and dream of being a part of this great Australian tradition.”

Meat advocate Richard Battison said the luxury should only be afforded to people who are “working class”.

“Anybody who can afford to be vegan should be at the Star Casino, not Bunnings,” he said. 

“I’m convinced the suggestion to introduce a vegan option is a joke in itself.

“They can eat a bowl of the onions, which is technically a vegan option.”

Earlier this month, a Bunnings store in Victoria faced the wrath of disappointed tradies and DIY-ers when a cat rescue service sold vegan snags outside.

Australia has the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world.