The Floating Farm in the Port of Rotterdam is continuing dairy production under a revised operating model after its owners abandoned a planned sale and moved the resident cows to nearby farms, according to Peter van Wingerden.
The farm was originally conceived by Peter and Minke van Wingerden as a €4 million project to produce food sustainably without tying dairy production to traditional farmland. It opened in May 2019 in the port and produced milk and dairy products for local consumers, who could buy them from vending machines on site. The concept drew hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.
Its recent history has included a dispute with the local environmental department over a newly fitted floor, which the department said did not comply with regulations. The 28 Dutch MRI cows were removed, milk production was due to stop and the farm was put up for sale.
Van Wingerden now says the sale is not going ahead. The cows have been moved to several farms about 20km away, and milk and other dairy production continue. A stainless steel pipeline runs from the quay to the farm, and a regular dairy truck brings milk from the dairy for use twice a week, at about 1,500 litres per batch. Van Wingerden said the 20km distance gives a short transport time.
He also said the farm has the lowest possible emissions because of its modern technology and system, but that the rubber floor is German and has no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands. That claim is presented as the operator's assessment.
Vertical growing unit below the waterline
A vertical salad-growing enterprise occupies the basement of the floating structure. Van Wingerden described it as a fully controlled, automated grow space for crops, with three layers, conveyor belts and a combination of grow-room and warehouse technology. Because it sits below the waterline, it is cooled by the water.
Four types of crops are grown in the unit: micro-greens harvested every two weeks, herbs every three weeks, leafy greens every four weeks and edible flowers every four to five weeks. The farm turns these products into tea, pesto, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey, alongside Parmigiano cheese.
The floating farm will have to leave the port in just over two years because the entire area is due to become residential. Van Wingerden said the current arrangement is not the vision the project began with, but that the operation is coping with the system. The requirement leaves the project with a limited presence at the port while dairy and crop production continue.