OESOPHAGOGASTRIC ulcers are one of the most important digestive disorders in pigs, affecting animals of all ages, especially those in the finishing period (Taylor 1999, Deen 2000). Most of the lesions are located in the non-glandular gastric mucosa; ulceration of the glandular mucosa has been found only infrequently. During the 20th century, a large number of studies of the prevalence and aetiology of the condition were made, with various findings. The aetiology of the ulceration is multifactorial, and identical clinical signs and histological lesions may be produced by a wide range of genetic, nutritional, pathological and environmental factors. The size of the farm has been described as a factor, with a higher prevalence on bigger farms (Tamas andothers 1977). Prevalences ranging from 1 per cent (Marcato and Di Guardo 1986) to 87 per cent (Melnichouk and others 1999) have been observed; in Spain, prevalences of 3 per cent (Rico Lenza 1966), 46.1 per cent (Shokouhi and others 1993) and 9.75 per cent (Palomo and others 1996) have been recorded, in all cases by studying stomachs randomly selected at slaughter. This short communication describes a study to investigate further relationships between the prevalence of oesophagogastric lesions and thesize of the farm of origin of the pigs.
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