FARGO, N.D. (KVRR/Ag News 890) – The Cass County States Attorney’s Office is investigating after a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture report that alleges the treatment of a cow at the North Dakota State University Meat Laboratory was inhumane.

USDA sent NDSU a notice in February that federal inspectors would not be assigned to the meat laboratory “until such time as you provide to this office adequate written corrective actions and preventive measures to assure that the handling and/or slaughter of animals will be done humanely.”

The Notice of Suspension says that it took several shots from what’s called a “captive bolt device” to render a cow unconscious.  A manager disassembled and reassembled the gun, but it misfired before a fifth shot rendered the cow unconscious.

PETA requested that Cass County State’s Attorney Birch Burdick investigate the matter.

“We’ll review it, determine what action we will take and then proceed with the appropriate steps” Burdick told KVRR-TV. “The USDA’s report says the observations detailed ‘an egregious violation’ of humane handling requirements.”

NDSU was not immediately available for comment.