Lameness in finisher pigs affects both animal welfare and farmers’ profitability.
However, information about the severity of pain and profit losses associated with
individual causes of lameness is lacking. This study quantified and compared the pain
and economic impact of nine different causes of lameness (e.g., infectious arthritis, claw
lesions and osteochondrosis) using expert opinion. Six researchers working on animal
behaviour and welfare and eight Danish pig veterinarians answered questionnaires
regarding animal welfare and production, respectively. The probability of euthanasia,
treatment with antibiotics and analgesics, and the changes in daily weight gain and feed
conversion ratio were used to calculate the resulting profit loss for a pig suffering from
each of the nine causes. To accommodate the uncertainty associated with the expert
assessments, simulations were performed using probability distributions based on the
minimum, median and maximum values. According to the experts, bone fractures
caused the highest severity of pain and the largest reduction in profitability. Lesions to
the claw wall and lesions to the volar area of the foot caused the lowest severity of pain.
Arthritis due to Mycoplasma hyosynoviae and lesions to the volar area of the feet caused
the smallest reduction in profitability. Considering the consequences of animal welfare
and profitability concomitantly provides a transparent evaluation of the overall impact
of lameness in finisher pigs.