The Floating Farm in the Port of Rotterdam has reversed a planned sale and is continuing dairy production after its 28 Dutch MRI cows were moved to several farms about 20 km away. The shift follows a dispute with the local environmental department over a newly installed floor that the department said did not comply with regulations. At an earlier stage, the cows had been removed and were due to be sold, milk production was set to stop and the farm was put up for sale.
Peter van Wingerden has confirmed that milk and other dairy produce are still being made and that the vertical farm is performing well. Milk is now brought to the floating site by a regular dairy truck about twice a week, at roughly 1,500 litres per batch, and moved through a stainless-steel pipeline running from the quay. The milk supplier is about 20 km away, keeping transport time short, according to Van Wingerden.
The project was the idea of Peter and Minke van Wingerden, who invested €4 million in a floating facility with on-site feeding, milking, slurry handling and dairy production. It opened in May 2019 in the Port of Rotterdam as a futuristic way to produce food sustainably without the traditional dependence on land. The farm produced milk and dairy products for local consumers, who could buy them from vending machines on site, and it drew hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.
Van Wingerden said the farm’s modern technology and systems give it the lowest emissions possible, but the rubber floor is German and has no compliance certificate in the Netherlands. The operational change means the cows are no longer housed on the floating structure, although dairy production continues with milk delivered from a nearby supplier.
A vertical crop-growing enterprise now occupies the basement of the floating structure. It is a fully controlled, automated growing space with three layers and conveyor belts, combining grow-room and warehouse technology. The unit produces microgreens harvested every two weeks, herbs every three weeks, leafy greens every four weeks and edible flowers every four to five weeks. These crops are used in tea, pesto, Parmigiano cheese, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey. The vertical farm sits below the waterline and is cooled by the water.
The Floating Farm will have to leave the port in just over two years because the wider area is due to become residential. Van Wingerden said the current setup is not the vision the project began with, but the operation is adapting to the system. The timeline leaves the project just over two years to adjust its port operations.