The World’s First Cultivated Meat Farm Launches in Zuid-Holland, Marking a New Chapter for Agriculture

RespectFarms

A working dairy farm in South Holland is set to make history as the first place in the world where cultivated meat will be produced directly on agricultural land. The pilot, led by Dutch nonprofit RespectFarms in collaboration with farmer Corné van Leeuwen, moves cultivated meat out of labs and test facilities and places it inside an active farm setting. In the coming weeks, the first on-farm cultivated meat units will be fully operational, offering a real-world look at how cell-based protein could integrate into traditional farm operations.

Supported by the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri)  and the Province of South Holland, the initiative aims to generate practical knowledge for farmers, policymakers, and the broader food system. Its significance reaches well beyond the Netherlands.

The project represents two global firsts. It marks the launch of the world’s first cultivated meat farm, with a modular production unit placed inside van Leeuwen’s dairy operation to explore how cultivated meat can complement, not displace, livestock activities. It also makes van Leeuwen the first farmer to receive agricultural innovation funding for cultivated meat through EIP-Agri, which connects farmers, researchers, and businesses to advance new approaches in European agriculture. This is the first time agricultural funds have been used to test cultivated meat as a potential on-farm business model.

RespectFarms, operating as a nonprofit, is developing a decentralized production model that positions farmers at the center of the protein transition. Instead of depending on massive biomanufacturing plants, the organization supports a “scale-out” approach that brings technology to farms, allowing producers to diversify income, adopt new tools, and remain active contributors in a changing food landscape. The model aligns with a broader shift in how alternative protein technologies can evolve: one that acknowledges the need to build transitions with farmers, not around them.

“We’re building a model where livestock farmers remain at the center of food production, not replaced by factories,” says RespectFarms and Cellular Agriculture Netherlands co-founder Ira van Eelen. “This is an opportunity to make the protein transition fair, transparent, and rooted in rural communities.”

Co-founder Florentine Zieglowski describes the effort as a collaborative, fast-moving path to commercialization that relies on shared expertise across agriculture, biotechnology, and supply chains. Fellow co-founder Ralf Becks adds, “RespectFarms boils down a world problem to farm size. And once it works, we scale this out to the world.”

For van Leeuwen, the pilot fits into a long family tradition of exploring new technologies, from early adoption of milking robots to artisanal cheese production. Integrating cultivated meat is a natural next step. “As a farmer you have to look ahead, especially these days,” he says. “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.”

The project also reflects a growing understanding across the sector that alternative proteins will scale more effectively when farmers have clear roles, pathways, and incentives within the transition. Embedding cultivated meat production directly on a farm turns that principle into practice, providing a grounded test of technical, operational, and economic feasibility.

EIP-Agri’s involvement marks an important precedent for European innovation policy. Designed to strengthen sustainability and productivity in agriculture, the program has, for the first time, extended funding to cultivated meat activities taking place inside a working farm. The Province of South Holland also sees the pilot as a strategic investment in regional leadership in agritech and biotech. “With RespectFarms, South Holland is setting a world first,” says regional minister for economy and innovation Meindert Stolk. “This initiative demonstrates how innovation in agritech and biotech supports our province and the Netherlands in the protein transition.”

To deepen transparency and foster public dialogue, the farm will open an Experience Center in spring 2026. The space will welcome farmers, policymakers, supply-chain partners, educators, and local communities to see cultivated meat production firsthand. “People need to see what’s really happening,” says van Eelen. “It’s good to have a place where science meets farmers, citizens, and policymakers to learn, debate, and co-create the future of food production.”

RespectFarms positions itself as a system integrator linking agriculture, biotechnology, and food production into a new on-farm model. Co-founder Ruud Zanders, also known for his work with Kipster, frames the initiative within environmental limits. “The consumption of the current amount of animal products is not sustainable within the planet’s capacity,” he says. “We need other ways to provide our food. Within the Earth’s limits, with as little impact as possible on animals, people, and the climate, and with a future for the livestock farmer. Et voilà: the cultivated meat farm.”

Cultivated meat is produced by growing animal cells in controlled environments such as bioreactors. By reducing land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional livestock farming, it offers a potential pathway toward lower-impact meat production. Bringing it to an active farm is a critical test of how the technology might function in real agricultural contexts.

The RespectFarms, van Leeuwen collaboration suggests a future where biotechnology becomes part of the agricultural landscape, strengthening farmers’ economic resilience, expanding local production opportunities, and broadening the definition of what modern farming can be. As Europe navigates its protein transition, this pilot underscores a simple but often overlooked truth: farmers aren’t peripheral actors in the future of food. They are essential partners, and their participation may shape the pace and direction of change.