Pioneering sustainable dairy farming: Trouw Nutrition expands research campus in Sint Anthonis, the Netherlands

“Our ambition is to be recognised as the reference for scientific leadership in the animal nutrition industry by delivering high-quality results to the standard of peer review for the development of functional and nutritional customer-based solutions for sustainable farming,” said Dr John Doelman, R&D Director of Trouw Nutrition.

The newly acquired facility, strategically located beside Trouw Nutrition's existing research hubs dedicated to beef cattle, calves and swine, will deliver value-adding and science-driven solutions for dairy farmers. Its team will focus on developing cutting-edge nutritional knowledge and solutions, utilising proprietary ingredients and pioneering young animal feed solutions – all of which contribute to dairy production sustainability.

Once renovations are completed, the facility is set to exceed prevailing environmental legal standards, including Nutreco’s Health, Safety and Environment benchmarks. Within a year's time, it will be home to 100 lactating dairy cows, serving as a practical demonstration of sustainable dairy production in the Netherlands, a region renowned for its stringent sustainability legislation.

“We’re thrilled to announce this milestone,” said Javier Martín-Tereso, Ruminants Research Director. “To us, this isn't just a new research facility, it's a symbol of the commitment we make to farmers, consumers and the planet that we will continue to drive forward more sustainable farming practices and help transform our industry.”

The new unit will be led by an expert team consisting of seven farm technicians, three research technicians and six researchers, supported by a group of graduate students who previously ran experiments at the Kempenshof farm – a facility formerly contracted by Trouw Nutrition. The team’s role will be to conduct experiments and gather key insights relating to dairy performance, sustainability (such as nitrogen and carbon emissions and circularity), health and wellbeing.