iiiiii United States Department of Agriculture 

Food Safety and 

Inspection 

Service 

Office of Field 

Operations 

Des Moines 

District Office 

Neal Smith 

Federal Building 

210 Walnut 

Street 

Room 985 

Des Moines, IA 

50309-2123 

Voice 

515.727.8960 

Fax 

515.727.8991 

September 26, 2023 

Carlson Meat Shop 

Establishment M8948 

105 2nd Street North 

Grove City, MN 56243 

info@carlsonmeatshop.com 

(320) 905-1381 

Attention: Joel Inselmann, Owner 

Electronically Signed copy emailed September 26, 2023 

NOTICE OF SUSPENSION 

This letter serves as official notification by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of our 

decision to withhold the federal marks of inspection and suspend the assignment of Inspection 

Program Personnel (IPP) for all slaughter operations at Carlson Meat Shop, Est. M8948, located 

at 105 2nd Street North, Grove

(b) (6)

 City, MN. This letter follows notification via phone of the 

suspension action, provided by , District Case Specialist, to Joel Inselmann, 

Owner at approximately 4:24pm on September 26, 2023. 

This action is taken in accordance with the Rules of Practice regulation 9 Part Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) Part 500.3(b) due to an egregious inhumane handling incident that occurred at 

your establishment on September 26, 2023. The evidence demonstrates failure to comply with the 

Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 603), the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act 

(HMSA) (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.), and the regulatory requirements (9 CFR Part 313). 

Background/Authority 

The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) (Title 21 of the United States Code {21 U.S.C.} 603 et 

seq) provides that for the purpose of preventing the inhumane slaughtering of livestock, the 

secretary shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and 

inspection of the methods by which amenable species cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or 

other equines are slaughtered and handled in connection with slaughter in the slaughtering 

establishments inspected under this Act. The Secretary may refuse to provide inspection to a new 

slaughtering establishment or may cause inspection to be temporarily suspended at a slaughtering 

establishment if the Secretary finds that any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other 

equines have been slaughtered or handled in connection with slaughter at such establishment by 

any method not in accordance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) (72 Statute, 

862; Title 7 U.S.C. 1901 to 1906) until the establishment furnishes assurances satisfactory to the 

Secretary that all slaughtering and handling in connection with slaughter of livestock shall be in 

accordance with such methods. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joel Inselmann, Owner Notice of Suspension Carlson Meat Shop 

Est. M8948 September 26, 2023 

The HMSA provides that Congress finds that the use of humane methods in the slaughter of 

livestock prevents needless suffering; results in safer and better working conditions for persons 

engaged in the slaughtering industry; brings about improvement of products and economies in 

slaughtering operations; and produces other benefits for producers, processors, and consumers 

which tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock and livestock products in interstate and foreign 

commerce. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of 

livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by 

humane methods. 

Under the authority of the Acts, FSIS has prescribed rules and regulations required for 

establishments slaughtering and handling livestock, as required by 9 CFR Part 313. FSIS has also 

developed the Rules of Practice regarding administrative enforcement, 9 CFR Part 500. The Rules 

of Practice describe the types of enforcement actions that FSIS may take and include procedures 

for taking a withholding action and/or suspension, with or without prior notification, and for filing 

a complaint to withdraw a grant of inspection. Specifically, 9 CFR 500.3(b) states that FSIS may 

impose a suspension without providing prior notification due to handling or slaughtering of 

animals inhumanely. 

Findings/Basis for Action 

On September 26, 2023, at 09:50 hours while performing HATS Task Category VIII Stunning 

effectiveness, IPP observed the following noncompliance. An establishment employee positioned 

himself to stun a beef steer, with a .22 caliber rifle, in the restrainer, the head restraint was not 

utilized allowing the head to move around freely. After the stun attempt, the steer remained 

conscious, IPP observed the steer moving its head in a controlled manner and standing and 

breathing rhythmically. The establishment employee immediately reloaded the same .22 caliber 

rifle two more times, from the loaded magazine, attempting two more stuns. After the second and 

third stun attempt the steer was observed standing, breathing rhythmically, and with controlled 

head movement. A fourth stun attempt was made with the .22 caliber rifle, by the same 

establishment employee, the animal dropped to sternal recumbency with a flaccid tongue and no 

controlled voluntary movements. This stun effectively rendered the animal unconscious. 

I examined the head with the hide off and found 4 entrance wounds. All wounds are described in 

no particular order from the perspective of the animal. 

Wound A: was 1.5 inches above a line drawn between the eyes and .25 inch to the left of the 

midline of the forehead. 

Wound B: was 4.5 inches above a line drawn between the eyes and on midline of the forehead. 

Wound C: was .75 inches above a line drawn between the eyes and 1.5 inch to the right of the 

midline of the forehead. 

Wound D: was 1 inch below a line drawn between the eyes and 1 inch to the right of the midline 

of the forehead. 

IPP applied a regulatory control action by rejecting the restrainer with USDA Reject tag 

B26499051 and further stunning was stopped. IPP informed Plant Owner, Joel Inselmann of the 

forthcoming noncompliance record for the failure to meet regulations 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1) and 

313.16(b)(1)(iii). The district office management team was notified through supervisory channels. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joel Inselmann, Owner Notice of Suspension Carlson Meat Shop 

Est. M8948 September 26, 2023 

Summary and Conclusion 

Provisions of the FMIA outline FSIS’ ability to refuse to render inspection and indefinitely 

withdraw inspection from an establishment, provided the establishment is afforded the right to an 

administrative hearing, when conditions exist where the slaughter and/or handling of livestock was 

not by a method in accordance with the Act(s). Evidence demonstrates your failure to meet 

regulatory requirements detailed in 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1) and 313.16(b)(1)(iii) constituting a 

violation of the humane slaughter requirements and supporting the conclusion that your handling 

of livestock violated the provisions of the FMIA and HMSA. 

The establishment does not have a humane handling program that meets the four criteria as 

described in the Federal Register Notice of September 9, 2004. Based on the above findings, the 

Des Moines District Office has made a decision to suspend the assignment of inspectors for your 

slaughter operations, as per the Rules of Practice regulation 9 CFR Part 500.3(b). 

The suspension of the assignment of inspectors will remain in effect until such time as you provide 

to this office adequate written corrective actions and preventive measures to address the 

noncompliance detailed in both the NOS issued on September 26, 2023 as well the additional 

noncompliance identified in this NOS, to assure that the handling and/or slaughter of animals will 

be done humanely and in accordance with the FMIA, HMSA, and the regulations promulgated 

therein. 

You may provide this office written corrective actions and preventive measures concerning the 

NOS and we will determine further action, if any, based upon your response. If you choose to 

address this issue, your written response should include: 

1. An initial assessment of the incident, including determination of the cause. 

2. Immediate corrective actions taken. 

3. Measures to prevent reoccurrence. 

4. Any training of employees, materials used, and associated records. 

5. Type of monitoring activity(s) to be conducted and associated monitoring records. 

A determination of further administrative action will be made upon receipt and review of your 

submitted corrective actions and preventative measures. You are reminded that, as an operator of 

a federally inspected establishment, you are expected to comply with FSIS regulations and to take 

appropriate corrective actions to prevent the production of or adulterated products at your 

establishment. Please be advised that your failure to respond adequately to these issues may result 

in our initiating action to withdraw inspection from your establishment. 

Appeal and Hearing Rights 

You have the right to appeal this matter and can do so by contacting: 

Sherri N. Johnson 

Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations 

Office of Field Operations 
Joel Insehnann, Owner Notice ofSuspension Carlson Meat Shop 

Est. M8948 September 26, 2023 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

United States Department ofAgriculture 

SB, Room 1330A 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20250 

Email: sheITi.johnson@usda.gov 

Phone: (202) 379-6196 

Pursuant to 9 CFR 500.5(d), you may also request a hearing regarding this detennination. Should 

you request a hearing, FSIS will file a complaint that will include a request for an expedited hearing. 

If you wish to request a hearing regarding this determination, please contact: 

Scott C. Safian, Director 

Enforcement Operations Staff (EOS) 

Office ofInvestigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA) 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

United States Depaitment ofAgriculture 

Stop Code 3753, SB - Room 2148 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20250 

Telephone: (202) 418-8872 

Facsimile: (202) 245-5097 

E-mail: AEBCoITespondence@usda.gov 

If you have questions regai·ding this matter, please feel free to contact the Des Moines Disti·ict 

Office at 515-727-8960 or Disti·ict Veterinai Medical Specialists (DVMS) 

or 

Sincerely, 

Digitally signed by MARK MARK JOHNSON 

JOHNSON Date: 2023.09.26 

19:42:16 -05'00' (for) 

Dawn Sprouls 

Disti·ict Manager