Palus Demos is funded by the European Union Horizons programme. The EU has invested €10m in the hope of seeing results: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving biodiversity and developing a sustainable economic model for paludiculture – growing crops on rewetted peatland.
Ideally, this investment will generate jobs and taxes that provide well in excess of €10m. But, in the meantime, this is public money, and Palus Demos is committed to transparency and accountability.
That’s why, in July 2026, a delegation from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) came to visit one of our sites, the sphagnum farm in Co Offaly, Ireland. They wanted to see what progress has been made, what challenges have been faced and how they are being overcome and, ultimately, whether their investment is on course to achieve results.
This visit is just one of many site inspections that the ECA will carry out over the duration of the project.
Niall Ó Brolcháin, coordinator of the Palus Demos project, spoke to Ray Larkin, one of the ECA auditors, as well as Palus Demos project manager Sandra Riordan and Dr Terry Morley, Palus Demos site leader for Ireland.