The technical visit will take place of Friday the 21st of October. The bus for the visit will leave at 9:30 h at the Inntel Hotel in Rotterdam. We will arrive back at the hotel around 17:30 h.

For the technical visit we will drive on Friday to the Province of Zeeland in the South-Western part of the Netherlands. We will visit the village of Yerseke, which traditionally plays a central role in the production and distribution of shellfish. Last decades this village has become one of the larger seafood processing and trading hubs in Western Europe.

We will visit the Dutch Mussel Producers organization where we will learn about mussel production in the Netherlands. During this visit we will also see the Dutch Mussel Action. This specific and unique auction does not only ensures smooth transactions between producers and traders but also plays a central role in the quality assessment of Dutch mussels.

Lunch will be accomodated at De Oesterij. This family owned company cultivates oysters in the Eastern Scheldt, Lake Grevlingen, Lake Veere and at an experimental unit in Waterdunen. Furthermore the company also sell their and other oysters worldwide. At their premises they have a small scale museum regarding oyster cultivation in the Netherlands. So besides tasting oysters (and other seafood) we will also learn a lot.

After the lunch visit we will visit Roem van Yerseke. Roem van Yerseke is a family company established in 1942 in Yerseke, the Netherlands. They have grown into Europe’s largest seafood processor, with production facilities in Holland and Germany. Over more than 75 years they have successfully been breeding and harvesting mussels, shrimps and oysters. 

Roem van Yerseke owns more than 2000 hectares for mussel and oyster farming, 14 in-house vessels, 4 processing plants and their own shellfish hatchery.

On our way trip back to Rotterdam we will make a short stop at the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. The Eastern Scheldt Barrier connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in Zeeland and was built between 1976 and 1986. It is the largest storm surge barrier in the Netherlands. The 9 km long structure seals off the Eastern Scheldt if there is a threat of flooding.

Date: Friday October 21st

Technical visit costs € 90,- per person. Included in the price:
Transportation from hotel, technical visit and lunch.