‘Het moet anders’ (time to change) is a sentence photographer Hans van der Meer has heard more than once during his visits to farmers throughout the Netherlands. With his latest book and exhibition Van der Meer shows us the remarkable world of dairy farming. Time to Change offers a fascinating insight into the lives of cows and the changing countryside, while at the same time questioning the industry’s current state and future.

Over the past few decades, the gap between the consumer and the world of the cow has been growing and growing. Hans van der Meer lives in the centre of Amsterdam, but when his farmer friend Jaap Hemke goes on holiday, Hans looks after the farm. He has been doing this for nearly twenty years, stimulating a deep interest and a particular insight into dairy farming. Through photography, film and writing Van der Meer examines the world around him. In Time to Change he is looking at and thinking about cows and consequently dairy farming, animal welfare, hi-tech food production and its impact on the environment. Van der Meer’s pictures are the trigger for a series of observations highlighting the complexity of modern farming. In addition, he asked farmers and innovators the question how to continue and in which direction. In many of the photos the cow looks puzzled. Or is it that she’s questioning us? How will we be shaping the future in food production? And what will the role of the animals be in it?

A few years ago, the Netherlands Fotomuseum invited Hans van der Meer to create a photo series inspired by Cas Oorthuys’ book Rundvee (1948) in their collection. This triggered the project Time to Change. In 2016, a preview of the project was shown at the Fries Museum, accompanied by a series of columns in Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. The exhibition and newspaper series both included texts and photographs by Van der Meer, addressing issues like permaculture, health issues and milk production.

The exhibition was on show from 30 June – 28 October 2018 at Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. The book is available in specialised book shops and in the YdocStore webshop (language: Dutch and English, price: €34.50)

In addition to photographs and texts, Van der Meer made a series of short films. The video below shows the process of hoof and claw cutting with a special machine, a necessary task to keep the cow’s hoofs healthy. It was done by hand for a long time, technological progress increased productivity.