Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham joined vegan activist Michelle Farnham inside a pig farrowing crate in Trafalgar Square, as part of a three-week protest highlighting the conditions in which mother pigs are kept on factory farms. Farnham, 28, from Herefordshire, entered the 43-inch-tall crate on 1 September and has been unable to stand up since, carrying out all daily activities, including sleeping and washing, from within the bars. The demonstration, organised by campaign group Animal Rising, aims to pressure the government into committing to end factory farming by 2040.

Packham, who joined Farnham on her ninth consecutive day in the crate, described the conditions as "horrific" and said farrowing crates are "routinely used" across the British pig industry rather than being a fringe practice. The crate, taken from a real factory farm, measures 83 inches by 32 inches by 43 inches, with three weeks chosen as the minimum period a sow is typically confined in one. Farnham, who works as a footage reviewer for Animal Rising, is supported around the clock by volunteers providing food, water and welfare checks, and has said the hardest part is the total loss of independence and privacy.