​The agriculture sector is always changing and always on the lookout for the next innovation to transform farming for the better. This sector has been part of Addfield's story since the early 1980s, and it's an industry that has consistently pushed our machines to keep pace with how farming actually works on the ground.

On-farm incineration has become the standard answer to fallen stock for a lot of UK pig producers, and for good reason. Dealing with the animal on site the same day removes the wait for a collection, keeps vehicles off the land and takes one more route for disease off the table. It's also a requirement for anyone carrying the Red Tractor symbol, which means an incinerator on site is an essential piece of farm equipment for maintaining biosecurity and industry best practice.

The SB Sow has been one such evolution, designed purely on customer feedback received through exhibiting at trade shows and from our engineers who work side by side with the farmers installing, maintaining and servicing their machines. The SB has long been the right fit for pig farmers, but over the past few years the animals themselves have changed shape.

Twelve teats have traditionally been the accepted minimum for breeding sows, with 14 the practical average across most farms. Now, on many UK pig farms, sows are being selected for up to 18 teats, and as that becomes more common the average sow is getting longer with them.

We discovered this to be a growing shift in 2024 at the British Pig & Poultry Fair, where many farmers from across both sectors came to catch up with us and share their experiences of the industry, our machines and how well they suited their needs.

This was where we first heard about the sows getting longer, as several farmers were unsure whether their sows would fit a space that had always been enough.

So we went away and added that to our to do list. We started redesigning the machine in 2025 and in 2026 we returned to the show with a new machine, the SB Sow.

The SB Sow costs the same as the standard SB, and keeping it that way really mattered to us. Farmers have supported Addfield for more than 40 years, and it felt right to return that support by improving the machine rather than pushing customers up to a bigger, costlier model. Having an in-house technical team meant we could take farmer feedback straight from the show floor and turn it into a working redesign.

The SB Sow runs exactly like the standard SB and the rest of our agricultural range, with no change in operation for the farmer, and will handle up to 750kg a day, comfortably enough for a full sized adult sow. The difference is in the primary chamber, which now has a longer, narrower loading area to suit the longer animal, along with a repositioned and enlarged burner that directs heat exactly where it's needed most. The chamber gives the extra length sows need without stepping up to the larger TB, a machine that would have been more capacity than necessary for the small gain required, and at a noticeably higher price.

We have also launched our new Easy Open, Easy Close system, which improves the operational performance of the machine without breaking the bank. Hydraulic struts take the strain out of opening and closing the lid, creating a more comfortable experience for the operator. The system is now available on any top loading machine that we manufacture and can even be retrofitted to existing incinerators.

The first SB Sow off the line sold within two weeks of launch, a fast turnaround by the standards of this industry. It's now installed and running on a UK pig farm, with feedback so far entirely positive.

We are continuing to build more stock machines across some of our most popular models, so farmers making the same switch won't have to wait long for theirs.

If you're finding your machine no longer fits the animals you're breeding, Addfield can help. Please get in touch at sales@addfield.com or +44 (0)1543 571 280.