AN Irish dairy farmer has come up with a moo-ving way to ensure her herd of cows are looked after when she retires.
Jill Smith was just 16 years old when she took over her family's farm near Carrigaline in Co. Cork.
Over the last five decades, she's bred a herd of 70 including Shorthorns, Friesians and Jerseys cows.
She has developed such a strong bond with them over the past 54 years, that she couldn't bear to think what might happen to them when she retired.
Watch the video of Jill and her herd below
"I'm generally very fond of them all," the 70-year-old told RTE. "I've probably brought most of those into the world. You know I was the first person to shake them into life and you bond with them from day one."
But when the Irish woman broke her ankle in an accident on her farm last year, it forced her to think about what would happen the herd when she could no longer take care of them.
Not wanting to send them to slaughter and with no Irish animal sanctuary big enough to take them, she raised €9,000 through crowdfunding to send them from Co. Cork to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk, England - a place she heard about on BBC's Countrywide programme.
Around 30 of the cows have already made the moo-ve to Britain, with the reminder leaving next month and over the coming year.
The cows were even blessed prior to their departure by Reverend Elaine Murray from St Mary's Parish from Carrigaline's Church of Ireland.
But even though farmer Jill's saying goodbye to her beloved herd, they will always have a special place in her heart.
"They're part of me," she said. "Or I'm part of them, I don't know which."
Watch the moo-ving Irish story below...
A dairy farmer from Co Cork is sending her herd to an animal sanctuary in England so that they can enjoy their new home when she retires pic.twitter.com/57Ar4N5I0s
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 26, 2017
