This article investigates the origin of the information, the operational status of the farm and the achievement of its objectives, based on information publicly available, to assess the true size of Mudanjiang City Mega Farm
The world's largest dairy farm, with an area to house 100.000 cows larger than many small towns
Claims about a giant dairy farm in China, Mudanjiang City Mega Farm, with 100.000 cows to supply Russia, have been circulating for years. This article investigates the truth behind the rumor that the largest dairy farm in the world.The narrative that Mudanjiang City Mega Farm (MCMF) in China would be the largest dairy farm in the world, with capacity for 100.000 cows and aimed at meeting Russian demand, gained prominence in 2015. However, the veracity of these grandiose claims deserves critical analysis.
The 2015 announcement and the favorable geopolitical context
In 2015, the MCMF announcement involved Chinese company Zhongding Dairy Farming and Russia's Severny Bur, with a reported investment of 1 billion yuan. The farm would meet Russia's need to diversify its dairy suppliers after the 2014 embargo. It was expected to grow feed on 100.000 hectares, mostly in Russia, and produce 800 million liters of milk annually. However, Zhongding Dairy Farming’s own 2020 reports indicated a total of 69.067 cows on 9 farms within the group, not on a single 100.000-cow unit in Mudanjiang.
A largest dairy farm in the world? Analyzing claims about area and livestock capacity
The designation of MCMF as the “largest dairy farm in the world” is based on a reported area of 22,5 million acres (approximately 9,1 million hectares) and capacity for 100.000 cows. The area figure is extraordinarily large and questionable; is more likely to refer to a wider agricultural supply zone than to a single operating property.
As for the 100.000-cow capacity, such a number would place MCMF among the largest global operations. However, the farm is notably absent from recent, credible rankings of the global dairy industry, which raises serious doubts about its operation on the proclaimed scale.
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