A new lifetime lactation record for a dairy cow has been confirmed by the Guinness World Records. Milking 216,891kg over her lifetime, over 300 times her own body weight, a Canadian Holstein Friesian has topped all others.

Known as Smurf, the cow was owned by Ontario farmer Eric Patenaude and produced 35.4l of milk per day, on average. She lived to the age of 18. Patenaude described the champion bovine as a “once-in-a-lifetime cow” who was a “really hard worker” and “never sick”.

“All cows are milk recorded. She was the one that stood on top,” he said.