The monitoring of pig osteochondrosis (OC) in Lithuania began in 2001. 1,596 pigs (791 gilts and 805 castrates) of various breeds and with an average weight of 95 kg were tested. Housing and feeding conditions were the same for all pigs. The pigs were selected at a control fattening station, slaughtered, and OC was measured according to the methods applied in Sweden by the cut surface of distal femur and humerus. The severity of this disease was scored in elbow and knee joints on a 0-5 point scale. The occurrence of OC among all the tested pigs of various genotypes made up 47.4%. The study indicated that castrated males were more inclined to this disease than gilts (50.4% vs. 44.4%). The investigation data indicated that OC should be controlled in the course of selecting pigs raised in breeding centers of Lithuania. Significant differences were not found (P>0.1- 0.5) when analyzing the influence of OC on the fattening performance of Lithuanian White (purebred, bacon and meat types), Swedish Yorkshire and German Landrace pigs, However, the dependence of this defect on muscularity and other carcass traits of pigs was indicated. Lean meat percentage, lean loin area and ham weight of pigs having OC lesions of leg joints were all higher than that of pigs not having this defect, when backfat thickness was lower.
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