To assess the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on performance, slaughter and meat quality, 100 Danish barrows were fed diets containing 0.5% sunflower oil (control) and 0.5% CLA from 40 kg live weight until slaughter at either 100 or 130 kg live weight. Plasma total cholesterol (P = 0.006) and HDL-cholesterol (P = 0.021) was reduced, and plasma FFA-concentration increased (P = 0.06) in pigs fed CLA. CLA supplementation improved (P = 0.01) the feed utilisation by 4.7% and 4.3% for pigs slaughtered at 100 and 130 kg, respectively. Daily gain tended (P = 0.06) to increase with the CLA-treatment (1.236 versus 1.194 kg for CLA- and control, respectively). Dietary treatments had no effects on slaughter- (meat percentage and backfat thickness) and meat quality responses (pH, temperature and water holding capacity). CLA tended (P = 0.09) to reduce the intramuscular cholesterol, but had no influence on the total content of intramuscular fat.