This is an extract from an article by Niall Ó Brolcháin (main picture, centre) coordinator of the Horizon Europe Palus Demos project and a research fellow at the University of Galway.
Palus Demos, a Horizon Europe project demonstrating large‑scale sphagnum farming on rewetted peatlands, recently welcomed a delegation from the International Peatland Society (IPS) to its 50‑hectare demonstrator site at Ballaghurt bog in County Offaly, Ireland.
The project is trialling sphagnum as a growing‑media substrate for a circular bio‑economy on 6,000‑year‑old peat. Bord na Móna, a consortium partner, is transitioning from brown to green and runs the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme (PCAS) to optimise climate benefits from rewetting former industrial peat sites, including Ballaghurt.
The IPS delegation included Line Rochefort (main picture, left) from Laval University in Canada, who is developing a sustainable sphagnum harvesting method and a layer approach that may help to speed up paludiculture.
The visit also featured Ilze Ozola, vice president of the IPS (main picture, right), who is involved in the Responsibly Produced Peat certification scheme to reduce environmental damage from peat extraction.
Germany is a major peat market player, importing large volumes mainly from the Baltic states while seeking to reduce peat use in horticulture. Its strategy risks significant carbon leakage—transferring emissions from Germany to other countries without real global climate gains. To counter this, Germany has launched a €1.3 billion scheme to support paludiculture, including sphagnum farming on rewetted peatlands.
Ireland, with around 21% of its land as peat, has no specific policy to transition from peat use in horticulture, yet imports peat for this use. Substitutes like coir (which is extracted from coconuts) raise sustainability concerns.
Large‑scale sphagnum farming on industrial cutaway bogs could give Ireland a significant advantage in developing a circular bio‑economy for horticulture under the EU Green Deal, Nature Restoration Regulation, Water Framework Directive, Common Agricultural Policy, and Paris Agreement. Bold long‑term planning, innovative policy, and major investment are needed for Ireland to lead in Europe.
Read the full article by Niall Ó Brolcháin.
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