Loxahatchee man guilty in pig case

Victor H. Gonzalez was involved in their inhumane slaughter.

A Loxahatchee man pleaded guilty Thursday to his involvement in the inhumane slaughter of pigs and the sale of pig meat for human consumption, according to the news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Southern District of Florida office.

Victor H. Gonzalez, 53, made his plea before U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in West Palm Beach on Thursday. Gonzalez was president of El Milagro Nursery Inc. in Loxahatchee, where he reportedly didn’t have proper equipment to stun the pigs so they didn’t feel pain before killing them, the release said.

He faces up to three years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a year of supervised release. Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 27.

According to the court records, Gonzalez was responsible for the day-today management and oversight of El Milagro’s activities and engaged in the slaughtering, processing, handling, storing and selling of meat and meat food products in commerce for human consumption, including swine.

On Dec. 17, 2016, federal officers said they conducted a surveillance and inspection of the El Milagro facility. The officers said they observed employees slaugh- tering the pigs for customers without doing it humanely. The premises lacked proper, operable equipment to stun or otherwise render the animals insensible to pain, as required by law.

The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act “requires that such animals be rendered insensible to pain by one of the methods described in the law, prior to the animal being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut,” according to the news release.