South Holland achieves a world first. On the farm of dairy farmer Corné van Leeuwen in Schipluiden, the first cultured meat farm in the world is being established. The Province of South Holland supports this special project by RespectFarms, which combines technology and agriculture in an innovative way. Here, work is being done on the meat of the future, with the farmer in the lead.
Farmer in the lead
Corné van Leeuwen is a dairy farmer and cheesemaker. On the farm where his family has worked for generations, something completely new is now taking shape. His father was the first farmer in the Netherlands with a milking robot. Now Corné continues that innovative tradition as the first farmer to produce cultured meat alongside his dairy farming. On his farm, a beautiful place has been created where science, technology, and farming expertise come together.
Corné remains a farmer but expands his business with a new form of food production: growing meat from animal cells. Instead of breeding animals for slaughter, small amounts of animal cells are cultivated in a bioreactor into meat. This creates an additional source of income for farmers, while preserving their knowledge, farm, and role in the food chain. Producing cultured meat is not a replacement for the farmer but a new opportunity. They remain food producers but with new means and less burden on animals and the environment.
What is cultured meat?
Cultured meat is made from a small amount of animal tissue, for example, a muscle cell from a cow. This cell grows in a special tank, a bioreactor, where all conditions are just right: temperature, nutrients, and oxygen. This way, meat can grow without the need to slaughter an animal.
The technology is still in development but offers great opportunities. Cultured meat emits far fewer greenhouse gases, uses up to 95% less land, and consumes much less water than traditional meat. It can thus make an important contribution to the protein transition: the shift to a more sustainable food system with more plant-based and new protein sources.
The farm of the future
On the farm in Schipluiden, several components come together. In addition to dairy farming, a small production area is set up with bioreactors from RespectFarms. Here, tests are conducted on how meat production can work on a farm scale. There will also be an experience center where farmers, schools, and visitors receive explanations about cultured meat and the technology behind it.
It will be a place where you can literally see what the future of food looks like. Where science becomes visible on the farm, and where farmers can experience what cultured meat can mean for their business. The pilot farm is deliberately small-scale. It is not about mass production but about learning, testing, and sharing knowledge. This way, the farm becomes a practical example for the agriculture of tomorrow.
Innovation in agriculture
With the project, RespectFarms wants to show that technological innovation can take place in rural areas. That farmers can play an active role in new food chains instead of being sidelined, emphasizes Deputy Aad Straathof of Agriculture and Fisheries: “I am very pleased that as the Province of South Holland we are driving groundbreaking innovations like cultured meat to modernize the food supply and put the primary farmer at the center, creating new perspectives.”
The pilot farm should also become a meeting place for the entire chain: from researchers and food companies to governments, students, and consumers. In the coming years, workshops, roundtables, and open days will be organized. Farmers can learn what the transition to cultured meat means and what investments or adjustments are involved.
The role of the province
The Province of South Holland supports the project with an investment of half a million euros. This money is used for knowledge exchange, information, and setting up the experience center. The province thus helps involve farmers, schools, and other stakeholders in this major innovation.
Meindert Stolk, Deputy for Economy and Innovation, emphasizes the importance of this collaboration between agriculture and technology: With RespectFarms, South Holland is setting a world first: the first cultured meat farm in the world. This initiative shows how innovation in agritech and biotech helps our province and the Netherlands in the protein transition while also creating economic opportunities. By developing technology and knowledge locally and exporting internationally, we strengthen our position as a leader in sustainable food production and strategic technology.
Why this is important
Demand for meat continues to rise worldwide. At the same time, agriculture is under pressure from nitrogen emissions, land use, and animal welfare. New technologies, such as cultured meat, can help reduce this tension. By producing meat differently, the impact on the environment and animal welfare can be greatly reduced.
For South Holland, this is also an economic opportunity. The province is a center of knowledge, innovation, and agricultural technology. Companies like Lely and Vencomatic already show how Dutch innovation makes a difference worldwide. With RespectFarms, South Holland can also play a leading role in this new field as a development site and exporter of knowledge and technology.
Creating the future together
The pilot farm in Schipluiden will be further developed in the coming years. From 2026, the first tests will be conducted with bioreactors ranging from 20 to 200 liters. By 2028, a fully operational pilot farm should be in place where farmers, students, and visitors can see how cultured meat is produced in practice.
For the province, this is more than a technical experiment. It is an investment in the future of agriculture, where farmers, researchers, and companies collaborate on sustainable food production.
From barn to world stage
What starts in Schipluiden can be followed worldwide. RespectFarms already collaborates with partners at home and abroad and expects the model to be applicable in other countries later. This way, a South Holland farm becomes a testbed for the world.
