The world's first cultivated meat farm opens in the Netherlands
Supported by EU funding, a dairy farm in South Holland can now also produce cultivated meat products.
The cultivated meat unit arriving at the farm. Credit: RespectFarms
The first-ever farm that produces cultivated meat is now open in South Holland.
With help from the integration system RespectFarms, dairy farmer Corné van Leeuwen will also produce cultivated meat products on his farm. In a historic first, RespectFarms has assisted van Leeuwen in installing cultivated meat units, which will allow the farm to use cells to grow meat on the farm – without any slaughter.
The project is supported by the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri) as well as the Province of Zuid-Holland.
“We’re building a model where livestock farmers remain at the centre of food production, not replaced by factories,” said Ira van Eelen, co-founder of RespectFarms and Cellular Agriculture Netherlands. “This is an opportunity to make the protein transition fair, transparent, and rooted in rural communities.”
EIP-Agri aims to connect European farms, businesses and researchers to promote innovative agricultural practices. With this venture, a new food technology is being trialled on an existing farm with the view to accelerate progress in proteins while including farmers rather than replacing them.
RespectFarms chooses to support local farms that are already operating for a scalable operation, rather than developing factories and dedicated facilities. Their approach means that existing farms get access to advanced agricultural tech as well additional streams of income, this expanding opportunities and boosting local economies.
With their approach, farmers can produce more meat with fewer cows – minimising the risk of disease among the animals and eliminating the need for slaughter.
“RespectFarms boils down a world problem to farm size. And once it works, we scale this out to the world to increase impact,” adds Ralf Becks, co-founder of RespectFarms. “We are pioneering a fast way to commercialize cultivated meat – decentralised and together with agricultural, tech and supply chain partners", adds fellow co-founder Florentine Zieglowski.
The Province of South Holland contributed funds to the project with the goal to promote innovation and empower farmers. “This initiative demonstrates how innovation in agritech and biotech supports both our province and the Netherlands in the protein transition, while also creating economic opportunities,” says Regional Minister for Economy and Innovation Meindert Stolk.
The traditional meat industry causes immense suffering for animals who are forced to live their entire lives in cramped conditions at risk of disease, are often painfully mutilated, and face a violent death at abattoirs. Cultivated meat production completely eliminates any need to slaughter animals, instead using cells to grow animal meat in a laboratory setting.
Research by consumer organisation Euroconsumers found that over the double of European citizens trust farmers (27%) over retailers or companies (11%) when it comes to ensuring the safety of cultivated meat, making an even stronger case for the approach used by RespectFarms.
“As a farmer, you have to look ahead, especially these days,” said van Leeuwen. “This is a chance to see whether a new income model can fit alongside what we already do. Making cultivated meat on the farm makes sense for many reasons. Not trying it would be a missed opportunity.”
Corné van Leeuwen. Credit: RespectFarms
What's next for the collaboration?
In the spring of 2026, RespectFarms plans to open an experience centre at van Leeuwen's farm, where farmer and policymakers can interact with locals to showcase the properties of cultivated meat and introduce the community to its benefits.
Through engaging the public, the initiative aims to bring cultivated meat closer to potential consumers and pave the way for a more conscious and ethical future of food.
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