Avian flu outbreak hits Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue; 99,000 birds euthanized

Long Island’s oldest and last large commercial duck farm is facing the fight of its life after its owner confirmed a case of bird flu at the Aquebogue facility last week.

Doug Corwin, president of family-owned Crescent Duck Farm, said teams of state and federal farmworkers were on site last week to combat the outbreak, which is leading to ongoing euthanasia of its entire flock of around 99,000 birds. The farm was established in 1908 and remains the last commercial duck farm on Long Island, once world-famous for its ducks.

Staff from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services are expected to go to the Aquebogue farm Wednesday to test the workers, Corwin said, adding that none have shown signs of illness. The site is overseen by the Veterinary Service of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is also on site.

“The level of hygiene here is like walking into an emergency room at a hospital,” Corwin said. All people on the quarantined property must wear disinfected Tyvek suits, boots and gloves and sanitize when entering and leaving the farm, which has been in the Corwin family since the 1600s, he said. declared.

Today, Corwin wonders if the family business will survive.

It has already laid off 47 of its 75 employees and its revenues have fallen to zero.

“My income stream is finished right now,” he said. “I have to rely on reserves.” He plans to sell land “just to keep going.”

“Is this the end of the Long Island duck? I don’t know. It could be,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, is a highly contagious and often fatal respiratory disease in poultry, according to the USDA. It is widespread in wild birds and outbreaks have occurred on poultry farms as well as in dairy cows in the United States. There have been 67 human cases, mainly among people working on poultry farms and with dairy cows. Earlier this month, a man in Louisiana who was exposed to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock died.

The World Health Organization has reported that there have been at least 950 human cases of bird flu and about half have died, according to the CDC.

To date, no human cases have been reported in New York and no cases have been detected in the state’s dairy cows.

Avian influenza has been detected in Suffolk County in 2022, 2023 and 2024 in a backyard flock, commercial flocks and wild birds.

Nationally, more than 136 million birds have been affected since January 2022.

Dismissed workers

Corwin said he first noticed signs of a few lethargic ducks at the farm last Wednesday.

“There are a lot of birds here,” he said. “You constantly monitor your flock, three times a day. One day things seemed unusual. I noticed a few lethargic birds that didn’t seem well.”

He called in a veterinarian from Cornell University who “shot it and took a sample.” The sample was sent to Ithaca where the virology department confirmed the detection of H5N1.

“It’s a notifiable disease and I unfortunately knew what it was going to be,” Corwin said. “It stopped everything. I had to lay off 47 people. There were a lot of tears. It was very hard.”

Many workers have been with the company for 20 to 30 years, including one for 35 years. “I spoke to all my employees on Thursday evening, after I received my notice,” he said. “What a time after that: the screams, the hugs.”

About 20 Crescent workers are still on staff and helping with disinfection efforts. The 47 people laid off received notices explaining the status of their release under unemployment benefits.

Corwin also informed his customers of the problem the day he became aware of it. “I sell to large distributors at the high end of the meat industry,” he said. “I warned them right away. I deliver to them once or twice a week, week after week.”

Eggs, a hope of saving genetics

Corwin said the only hope of saving his business is the prospect of obtaining a special permit from the state to restart the flock from 10,000 eggs held in quarantine. The genetics of his ducks, passed down through generations, are the foundation of his business, but it won’t be easy.

“They are going to have to be disinfected with chlorine and sent in a disinfected truck to another hatchery to hatch,” while being tested at all stages for any signs of the virus, he said. “We hope to start this process in about a week,” if the eggs pass all inspections and once farm work is completed. “We might be able to preserve our genetics.”

Crescent faced a similar crisis during the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this decade, Corwin noted, with layoffs and sharp declines in business, but “this is different,” he said. he declared. “It’s sadder than COVID.”

He stressed that bird flu is extremely contagious in poultry and said it was a “very easy virus to kill.” He has lobbied regulators to authorize a vaccine to inoculate ducks against this virus, but so far federal regulators have not approved it.

But his main job right now is making sure the farm is disinfected and cleaned by inspectors. Rebuilding the farm from scratch, inspectors permitting, will take three years, Corwin said.

“It’s not going to be easy,” he said. “I’m going to have to learn how to cut all my costs. Do we want to do that? Is help still available? My people are long-term employees and there are a lot of skills here that are going to be lost.”

“I hope we can preserve something that I think is unique to Long Island,” he said. “It’s going to be very tough and I hope for public sympathy and not fear.”

As for himself, Corwin said he’s not ready to give up. “I’m 66 years old and full of energy,” he said. “I would hate to see the only ducks on Long Island be the ones that play baseball.” ‘

“It’s not my job, it’s my life,” he said. “It’s my legacy. I think we’re kind of iconic, being that we’re what Long Island was known for. And I just don’t want this to end that path.”

Check back for updates on this developing story.