Skip to main content

Duck-Feed


Sustainable Protein from Duckweed


About the Duck-Feed project

Duck-Feed - Sustainable Protein from Duckweed

The Duck-Feed project is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research project, aiming to facilitate the use of duckweed as an alternative, sustainable source of protein for Ireland and thereby contributing to the circular economy. The project is funded by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The project is led by UCC, and is a collaboration with researchers in TU Dublin, Teagasc and Devenish Nutrition.

The project follows on from earlier projects on the use of duckweed in circular bioeconomy systems like BRAINWAVES (funded by the Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme) and NEWTRIENTS (funded by EPA). The EPA Research Report resulting from the Newtrients project can be found at the EPA website:

Research 411: Innovative Valorisation of Dairy Processing Wastewater Using a Circular Economy Approach (Newtrients)

Stakeholder: The Green Farmer (TGF)

 

The Green Farmer Co-operative Society Limited (TGF) is an innovative and exciting collaborative enterprise, and they are a stakeholder in the Duck-Feed project. They collaborate with our scientists to trial the reality of duckweed production on a dairy farm in the Clonmel area of Tipperary. Feedback from farmers growing and using duckweed on the farm at a commercial scale is invaluable to create a process that is not only viable, but also works in practice.

TGF is a collaborative community led by farmers and bioeconomy professionals developing practical and compliant solutions in the circular bioeconomy. Their mission is to pioneer farmer-led sustainable agriculture and to develop novel and compliant solutions to ensure a healthier and more planet-friendly way of farming for generations to come.

The Green Farmer Co-operative can be contacted via their website at https://greenfarmercoopltd.eu/.

Duck-Feed News

30 Oct 2025

The European Duckweed Network Workshop in Ghent

On 24 October a group of researchers gathered in the Belgian city of Ghent to discuss their work with duckweed in a workshop organised by the European Duckweed Network: "From pond to plate - advancing water lentils as novel food". The European Duckweed Network (EDN) brings together the varied interests in duckweed research and applications in a comprehensive skills and expertise network. The EDN spans the entire range from pioneering laboratory scale studies to applied, stakeholder-led applications. The workshop in Ghent zoomed in on one particularly promising area of duckweed research: Advancing water lentils as a novel food for human consumption.
Read more
20 Oct 2025

CONFERENCE: RAMIRAN 2025 in Wageningen, The Netherlands

Last week, from 15-17 October 2025, our PhD Cian Redmond had the pleasure of attending the 19th RAMIRAN Conference - Managing organic resources in agriculture: opportunities and challenges.
Read more
02 Jul 2025

Postdoctoral position available

A 30 month Post-Doctoral or Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher position is available in the group of Prof. Marcel Jansen, School of BEES at University College Cork. The researcher will contribute to the Just Transition project: Demonstrating high value commercial bio-products at a circular IMTA site (CIRC_IMTA_DEMO), a commercially focused, interdisciplinary bioeconomy project centred on a peatland-based integrated multitrophic fish farm in county Offaly in the Irish Midlands. The position will mostly be based here.
Read more
30 May 2025

Stories on duckweed

Several blog posts have been added to our website in the last few months. If you would like to know more about duckweed, its use in water remediation, role in a circular economy and our research surrounding these topics, have a look on our Stories page.
Read more

Plants for Sustainability

Contact us

School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences | University College Cork | Distillery Fields | North Mall | Cork T23 TK30 | Ireland,

Connect with us

Top