Eight vehicles were damaged on the Hume Highway on Thursday evening when a cow ventured out into traffic.

The cow was grazing on the side of the road before it stepped out into traffic at 8pm where it was hit by a prime mover at 100km/h.

It was thrown under the truck and tumbled into other vehicles.

One car hit the cow and swerved off the road where it hit trees on the side of the road.

A further five cars and another prime mover hit the cow, which caused varying levels of damage.

The cow died at the scene and there was some disruption to traffic as a number of cars and one of the prime movers needed to be towed away.

No brandings or marks could be found on the cow to identify its owner.

Inspector Shawn Baker from Camden Police said wildlife on local roads had been a problem for a long, long time.

“When you’re driving on semirural roads you need to watch out for wildlife,” he said.

“People need to be aware.”