Sen. Richard Blumenthal had urged a probe into the USDA's handling of the Boar's Head plant, calling it an "abject failure."

U.S. Agriculture Department officials have launched an internal investigation into how the agency handled reports of serious problems tied to a deadly listeria outbreak at a Boar's Head deli meat plant in Virginia.

U.S. Agriculture Department officials have launched an internal investigation into how the agency handled reports of serious problems at a Boar’s Head deli meat plant tied to a deadly listeria outbreak,