The Floating Farm in the Port of Rotterdam has reversed a recent sale plan and is continuing dairy production, but its 28 Dutch MRI cows are no longer housed on the floating structure. The animals have been moved to several farms about 20 km away, and milk is being brought to the facility by truck while a vertical crop operation runs in the basement.
The change follows a dispute with the local environmental department over a new floor that officials said did not comply with regulations. The farm had been put up for sale, the cows were to be sold and milk production was to stop. Peter van Wingerden, who founded the project with Minke van Wingerden, has now confirmed that the sale is not going ahead, that milk and other dairy production are continuing and that the vertical farm is performing well.
Milk brought in from a nearby supplier
Van Wingerden said the cows had been transported to a few different farms near the Floating Farm. A stainless steel pipeline runs from the quay to the farm, and a regular dairy truck brings milk about twice a week, with each batch around 1,500 litres. The distance from the milk supplier is about 20 km, which he described as a short transport time.
He attributed the farm's low emissions to its modern technology and system, but said the rubber floor is German and has no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands. That flooring issue was central to the earlier regulatory fall-out.
Vertical unit below the waterline
The vertical farm occupies the basement of the floating structure, below the waterline, and is cooled by the water. It is described as a fully controlled and automated growing space with three layers, conveyor belts and a combination of grow-room and warehouse technology.
Four types of crops are grown there. Micro-greens are harvested every two weeks, herbs every three weeks, leafy greens every four weeks and edible flowers every four to five weeks. The crops are used for tea, pesto, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey, while Parmigiano cheese is also part of the farm's product range.
Original vision and next move
The Floating Farm was the brainchild of Peter and Minke van Wingerden, who invested €4 million in the project with on-site feeding, milking, slurry and dairy production facilities. It opened in May 2019 in the Port of Rotterdam as a futuristic way to produce food sustainably without the traditional tie-up with land. The farm produced milk and dairy products for local consumers, who could buy them from vending machines at the site. The concept attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.
The operation is not following the original plan. Van Wingerden said the Floating Farm will have to leave the port in just over two years because the entire area is to become residential. He said the current setup did not match the vision the founders started with, but that they were coping with the system. For now, the facility is combining milk processing with the vertical crop unit, while its former cows remain on nearby farms.