The Floating Farm in Rotterdam, a floating dairy project opened in 2019, is still operating after plans to sell it were dropped, but its setup has changed. The dairy cows have been removed from the platform and moved to several farms about 20 km away. Milk is now delivered to the floating site rather than being produced by cows housed there.
The project was developed by Peter and Minke van Wingerden with an investment of €4 million. It opened in May 2019 in the Port of Rotterdam as a way to produce food sustainably without relying on traditional land-based farming. During its operation, 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 owners recently put the farm up for sale after a disagreement with the local environmental department. The department said a newly fitted floor did not comply with regulations. The 28 Dutch MRI cows were taken off the farm and were due to be sold, and milk production was set to stop. That plan has not been carried through. The farm is not being sold, the cows are now on nearby farms, and a vertical salad-growing enterprise occupies the basement of the floating structure.
Peter van Wingerden confirmed that the farm was continuing to produce milk and other dairy products and that the vertical farm was performing well. He said the cows had been transported to a few different farms near the Floating Farm. According to van Wingerden, the farm has the lowest emissions possible because of its modern technology and system, but the rubber floor is German and has no certificate of compliance in the Netherlands. He also said a stainless steel pipeline runs from the quay to the farm, and that a regular dairy truck brings milk to the site twice a week, with about 1,500 L per batch. The milk supplier is only 20 km away, keeping transport time short.
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 this was not the vision with which the project began, but that the team was coping with the system.
The vertical farm is a fully controlled, automated growing space with three layers and conveyor belts, combining grow-room and warehouse technology. Four types of crops are grown there: micro-greens 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 to make tea and pesto, alongside Parmigiano cheese, herb-infused salts and herb-infused whey. The vertical unit sits below the waterline in the floating farm and is cooled by the water, which van Wingerden said was working well.