An epidemiological observational study was carried out in 63 swine finisher units aiming to identify the risk factors associated to the occurrence of arthritis at slaughter. In each farm, about 220 animals were evaluated for 110 days, and 42 variables, one objective (swine condemned for arthritis) and 41 explicative, were collected from the arrival of the pigs to the farm until submitted to the Federal Inspection at slaughter. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multivariate methods. Out of the 63 studied farms, 27.0%, 33.3% and 39.7% had high (>0.7%, low <FONT FACE=Symbol>£</FONT> 0.7%) and no occurrence (0.0%) of animals condemned for arthritis. There was an association between the occurrence of arthritis and low daily weight gain, low carcass meat yield, poor feed conversion rate and low carcass weight. The risk factors associated with arthritis at slaughter were: farms with historical data of condemnation for arthritis, more than five years without carrying out floor repairs, male sex, absence of ceiling lining in the facilities, pen cleaning only once a day, bad conditions of swine transport to the slaughterhouse, finisher units with more than 250 housed animals and more than 10 different pigs suppliers in the lot formation.
swine; ecopathology; risk factors; arthritis
