A trio of Donegal farmers have come together to invent a new hoof care product. Named Hoph, the machine uses spray technology to apply hoof-care solution to cows’ feet. According to Walter Hegarty, who is one of the men behind the invention, spraying hoof care solution onto cows’ feet is a superior way to treat and prevent lameness compared to foot-bathing.
The Irish Farmers Journal travelled to Carndonagh in Co Donegal to see the machine working on a dairy farm. There are two aspects to the device: the first is the control box which contains water pump/pressure vessel, dosing pump and electrical wiring.
The dosing pump, or pressure vessel, ensures that the spray solution is at constant pressure and to ensure that other applications on the farm that use water (such as plate cooler or wash-down hoses) don’t starve the Hoph system of water when it is in use.
The dosing pump is a standard in-line dosing system which adds liquid hoof-care solution to the water system at a rate ranging from 0.5% to 5% depending on the product specification. A hose from the dosing pump will allow the concentrated produce to be sucked up from the drum of whatever hoof-care product is used meaning there is no manual handling of the concentrated product.
The system sprays the hooves as the cows walk through the crush area.
The system shuts off when there are no cows walking through, reducing water and product use.
In action
On the dairy farm where the machine is being trialled in Donegal, the control box was located at one side of a wall and at the other side of the wall was where the sprayer was located. This means that it’s easier to keep it clean and cows have no access to the product drums or control box.
On the farm in question, the sprayer was located just after the drafting gate in the cow walkway where they exit the parlour after milking. The system works by a sensor located on the drafting gate switching the sprayer on when a cow is approaching. The sprayer is then automatically turned off when there are no cows walking through.
According to Walter, their product testing has shown that Hoph uses 50% of the water and 50% of the hoof-care solution as footbathing.
“Hoph uses approximately 120l of water for every 100 cow passes, which is half the amount of water contained in a standard footbath,” he says. “However, the key difference between our product and a footbath is that the quality of the solution is the same for the first cow that walks through and for the last cow that walks through, but the same cannot be said for a footbath due to the amount of contamination that takes place after cows walk through footbaths.”
Walter says that a trial conducted by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast published in April 2025 found, on average, a 26% reduction in bacterial count on the hoof of cows after being sprayed with solution versus cows given a simulated footbath treatment.
When the machine was operating, the spray travelled approximately 10ft from the nozzles meaning the front and back legs were getting good coverage and the liquid could be seen dripping from the front and back hooves.
Walter says it is possible to build a system with additional sprayers to, for example pre-spray/clean the hooves or to direct the spray towards the front of the hooves. On the farm that the machine is being trialled on, the walk-through area is slatted and was clean before use, but the spray itself tended to keep the area clean.
The dosing pump is located in the control box.
Costs
Cost wise, the standard unit comes in at €5,045 plus VAT (£4,250 plus VAT). Walter says that all the main components are stainless steel which adds significantly to the cost of manufacturing the machine but ensures a long and trouble-free working life. The company that he and the other inventors set up, Future Agri Tech, is currently looking for distributors to bring the product to market. The machine is compatible with any liquid hoof-care product.
A trio of Donegal farmers have come together to invent a new hoof care product. Named Hoph, the machine uses spray technology to apply hoof-care solution to cows’ feet. According to Walter Hegarty, who is one of the men behind the invention, spraying hoof care solution onto cows’ feet is a superior way to treat and prevent lameness compared to foot-bathing.
The Irish Farmers Journal travelled to Carndonagh in Co Donegal to see the machine working on a dairy farm. There are two aspects to the device: the first is the control box which contains water pump/pressure vessel, dosing pump and electrical wiring.
The dosing pump, or pressure vessel, ensures that the spray solution is at constant pressure and to ensure that other applications on the farm that use water (such as plate cooler or wash-down hoses) don’t starve the Hoph system of water when it is in use.
The dosing pump is a standard in-line dosing system which adds liquid hoof-care solution to the water system at a rate ranging from 0.5% to 5% depending on the product specification. A hose from the dosing pump will allow the concentrated produce to be sucked up from the drum of whatever hoof-care product is used meaning there is no manual handling of the concentrated product.
The system sprays the hooves as the cows walk through the crush area.
The system shuts off when there are no cows walking through, reducing water and product use.
In action
On the dairy farm where the machine is being trialled in Donegal, the control box was located at one side of a wall and at the other side of the wall was where the sprayer was located. This means that it’s easier to keep it clean and cows have no access to the product drums or control box.
On the farm in question, the sprayer was located just after the drafting gate in the cow walkway where they exit the parlour after milking. The system works by a sensor located on the drafting gate switching the sprayer on when a cow is approaching. The sprayer is then automatically turned off when there are no cows walking through.
According to Walter, their product testing has shown that Hoph uses 50% of the water and 50% of the hoof-care solution as footbathing.
“Hoph uses approximately 120l of water for every 100 cow passes, which is half the amount of water contained in a standard footbath,” he says. “However, the key difference between our product and a footbath is that the quality of the solution is the same for the first cow that walks through and for the last cow that walks through, but the same cannot be said for a footbath due to the amount of contamination that takes place after cows walk through footbaths.”
Walter says that a trial conducted by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast published in April 2025 found, on average, a 26% reduction in bacterial count on the hoof of cows after being sprayed with solution versus cows given a simulated footbath treatment.
When the machine was operating, the spray travelled approximately 10ft from the nozzles meaning the front and back legs were getting good coverage and the liquid could be seen dripping from the front and back hooves.
Walter says it is possible to build a system with additional sprayers to, for example pre-spray/clean the hooves or to direct the spray towards the front of the hooves. On the farm that the machine is being trialled on, the walk-through area is slatted and was clean before use, but the spray itself tended to keep the area clean.
The dosing pump is located in the control box.
Costs
Cost wise, the standard unit comes in at €5,045 plus VAT (£4,250 plus VAT). Walter says that all the main components are stainless steel which adds significantly to the cost of manufacturing the machine but ensures a long and trouble-free working life. The company that he and the other inventors set up, Future Agri Tech, is currently looking for distributors to bring the product to market. The machine is compatible with any liquid hoof-care product.
SHARING OPTIONS