Mount Lucas peatlands project showcased at Aquaculture Europe in Ljubljana

A peatland-based bioeconomy demonstration project based in Mount Lucas has been showcased to an international audience at Aquaculture Europe 2026 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The Circular-IMTA-Demo Project is an ambitious €4.9 million bioeconomy demonstration initiative based at Biowetlands in Mount Lucas.

The project was among initiatives presented during the conference, which brought together more than 2,500 delegates from across the aquaculture sector.

The Mount Lucas project team used the event to highlight the work taking place at the Offaly site, while also exploring potential collaborations across research, industry and policy.

The team also thanked Freya Robinson of the Rootlinks project for the invitation to speak at the event, describing it as an opportunity to exchange ideas with an international network working across related areas.

The conference also marked a significant moment for Ireland and the wider European aquaculture sector, with congratulations extended to Damien Toner on taking up the Presidency of the European Aquaculture Society.

A key theme emerging from the event was the role of the bioeconomy in bringing together disciplines and sectors that have traditionally operated separately.

"Biology, aquaculture, skills, enterprise, polymers, policy and digitalisation do not sit in isolation, they come together to create new value from biological resources, build more circular systems and develop practical solutions that can work at regional scale," said team member Cian O'Reilly in a post to LinkedIn.

"That is exactly what we are trying to build at Mount Lucas: a place where disciplines, sectors and people come together to test ideas, share knowledge and turn research into real-world impact."

To find out more, go to: https://circular-imta-demo.ie/en/