Big new dairies are something of a rage in China these days. Some provide milk for domestic use, while others are specifically to make products for export.
According to news reports from Europe, construction recently began on a massive $113 million dairy complex in northeast China that will milk 50,000 cows and supply milk and cheese to Russia. Estimates are the dairy could account for 30 percent of all cheese that had previously been imported from the European Union (EU).
The project is a joint venture between Chinese and Russian investors, and, if it becomes fully operational, it will be the world's largest dairy. Feed will reportedly come initially from approximately 250,000 acres located mainly in Russia, and there are plans for 500,000 additional acres after the dairy reaches full operation.
The project may be a long-term political response to economic sanctions levied against Russia by the EU, U.S., Canada and Australia after Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine. The EU extended those sanctions earlier this year.
In retaliation, Russia blocked many food imports from those countries until mid-2015, which it later extended until mid-2016. Building a pipeline of dairy products from China may be a way to significantly reduce that import reliance forever.
The 50,000-cow operation would dramatically increase the definition of "world's largest dairy," a title currently held by the 20,000-cow (milking) Modern Dairy Company facility in China seen in the accompanying photos and in a YouTube video. It is interesting to watch, to say the least.
Milking is done in eight rotary parlors, replacements are raised on-site and all animals are housed in freestall barns. Also located on the site are facilities for solar electricity, biogas and ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk processing.
