Meat inspectors from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) remained on-hand this week to provide continuous inspection services at one of Colorado’s largest beef plants in Greeley despite an ongoing, partial government shutdown. Meat, poultry, and processed egg inspection services are among those USDA activities that will continue despite the nine-day long partial shutdown. Most of FSIS’s 10,000 employees reported to work at about 6,200 private establishments last Wednesday, where they provided inspection services. These workers are among the 61 percent of USDA employees that are either “exempted or excepted” from furloughs during the shutdown. USDA and FSIS officials state that other activities will continue, including grain and other commodity inspections, weighing, grading, and IT support services, and inspections for import and export activities to prevent the introduction and dissemination of pests in and out of the United States, including inspections from Hawaii and Puerto Rico.