The Floating Farm in the Port of Rotterdam, a floating dairy opened in 2019 to test land-free food production, has changed course again: a planned sale of the facility has been dropped and the herd has been moved off the structure.
The owners, Peter and Minke van Wingerden, had put the farm up for sale after a disagreement with the local environmental department, which held that a newly fitted floor did not meet Dutch regulations. The 28 Dutch MRI cows living on the farm were taken off, with plans to sell the animals and end milk production.
That plan has since been revised. According to Peter van Wingerden, the farm is no longer being sold, the cows have been moved to several farms around 20km away, and production of milk and other dairy produce is continuing. He said the site's rubber floor is German-made and carries no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands, while the farm's modern technology and systems give it the lowest emissions possible.
Milk now reaches the structure through a stainless steel pipeline running from the quay, with a regular dairy truck delivering about 1,500L per batch twice a week, van Wingerden said.
Vertical growing below the waterline
A vertical salad-growing enterprise occupies the basement of the floating structure, below the waterline, where it is cooled by the surrounding water. It is described as a fully controlled, automated grow space with three layers and conveyor belts, combining grow-room and warehouse technology.
Four crop types are produced, each on its own cycle:
- Microgreens, harvested every two weeks;
- Herbs, harvested every three weeks;
- Leafy greens, harvested every four weeks;
- Edible flowers, harvested every four to five weeks.
The crops are processed into tea, pesto, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey, alongside Parmigiano cheese, according to van Wingerden, who said the vertical farm is performing well.
Background and outlook
The project was conceived by the van Wingerdens with a €4 million investment and opened in May 2019 in the Port of Rotterdam as a futuristic way to produce food sustainably without the traditional tie to land. On-site feeding, milking, slurry handling and dairy production were part of the original design, and milk and dairy products were sold to local consumers through vending machines at the farm. The concept drew hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.
The farm will have to leave the port in just over two years, as the entire area is to become residential. Van Wingerden said the current arrangement is not the vision the project started with, but that the team is coping with the system.