The floating dairy farm in the Port of Rotterdam, a Dutch project launched to show that milk could be produced sustainably without tying up farmland, has entered another phase, with its herd moved off the structure and milk now arriving from nearby farms.
The farm was the idea of Peter and Minke van Wingerden, who invested €4 million to create a platform combining on-site feeding, milking, slurry handling and dairy production. It opened in May 2019 in the port as a futuristic answer to producing food sustainably without the traditional link to land. Over the years it drew hundreds of thousands of curious visitors from around the world who came to see the cows at work, and it sold milk and dairy produce to local consumers through vending machines at the site.
More recently the owners put the farm up for sale after a disagreement with the local environmental department, which said a newly fitted floor did not comply with regulations. At that point the 28 resident Dutch MRI cows had been taken off the farm and were due to be sold, and milk production was to cease.
That plan has since changed. According to Peter van Wingerden, the farm is no longer being sold, and the production of milk and other dairy produce is continuing. The cows have been transported to a few different farms about 20km away, and their milk is brought back to the floating structure. He said a stainless steel pipeline runs from the quay to the farm, and a regular dairy truck brings milk from the dairy to the site twice a week, approximately 1,500 litres per batch. Because the supplier is only about 20km away, transport time is short.
Van Wingerden attributed the dispute to the flooring rather than to the farm's emissions. He said the operation has the lowest emissions possible thanks to its modern technology and system, but that the rubber floor is German and has no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands.
Vertical growing below the waterline
In the basement of the same floating structure, below the waterline, a vertical salad-growing enterprise now operates. It is described as a fully controlled and automated growing space with three layers and conveyor belts, combining grow-room and warehouse technology.
Four types of crops are grown in the unit, each on its own cycle: micro-greens are harvested every two weeks, herbs every three weeks, leafy greens every four weeks, and edible flowers every four to five weeks. These are turned into tea and pesto, along with the farm's Parmigiano cheese, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey. The vertical farm sits below the waterline and is cooled by the water, and van Wingerden said it is going really well.
The arrangement is a departure from the original concept, as van Wingerden acknowledged: “This is not the vision we initially started off with, but we are coping with this system.” A further move is already scheduled, since the Floating Farm will have to leave the port in just over two years because the entire area is to become residential.