A Cambridgeshire company has made quite an impact with Jeremy Clarkson.

Techneat Engineering developed an innovative piglet-saving hoop, that fits inside the Con-Tented pig huts used at Jeremy’s Diddly Squat Farm – as seen on the hit Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm.

The device is helping improve piglet survival by giving newborn piglets a safety zone they can retreat to and avoid being laid on.

Viewers of the popular Prime Video TV series will have witnessed the challenges Jeremy and his team faced caring for newborn piglets and the difficulties encountered trying to stop sows lying on their young.

They will have also seen Jamie Macdonald and Rob Macgregor from Techneat, discussing what could be done to improve the situation and help the farm’s small herd of Oxford Sandy and Black pigs improve piglet survival by reducing the risk of overlays.

Together the trio devised the ‘Clarkson Ring’, a continuous rail that fits inside the insulated Aardvark XL huts that were already being used at Diddly Squat to house sows and litters.

This floating, galvanised steel ring guides the sow to lie more centrally in the dome-shaped hut.

It prevents her from lying with her back up against the walls, so reducing the chances of piglets becoming trapped and crushed.

The two-piece, 340-degree steel hoop – there’s an opening at the doorway/entrance – is positioned at an optimal height and distance away from the wall of the hut to create a safe corridor around the circumference for the piglets to move into.

“The rare breed pigs they have at Diddly Squat were losing many of their piglets during the first few days after farrowing due to crushing by their mothers.

“But as was seen on the show, the ring has proved to be a beneficial addition as fewer piglets are now being lost.

“We’ll be monitoring activities to see how the Clarkson Ring is helping to improve productivity,” said Jamie Macdonald, design engineer at Techneat.

Techneat Engineering, designs and manufactures outdoor pig farming equipment under the Con-Tented Products brand.

Established in 1984, it employs around 40 people at its engineering workshops and distribution sites in Littleport and Ely.

(Image: Techneat Engineering)