U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Lifts One of Two Quarantines on LI Commercial Duck Farm
After having two quarantines imposed upon it by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue - the last such farm on Long Island - has had one of the measures officially lifted by the federal agency; however, the other quarantine is still currently in effect.
Crescent Duck Farm has been hit hard by a bird flu outbreak in January, necessitating that the farm's president, Doug Corwin, sadly euthanize over 99,000 of his ducks. This week, the USDA informed Corwin that it was lifting one quarantine against poultry in a 10-kilometer range around his farm; the second quarantine, specifically governing the grounds of the farm itself, is still in force.
Corwin is hoping that the second quarantine will be lifted soon so that he can return approximately 3,700 young ducks that have been hatched off-site from eggs; in the meantime, he is disinfecting and fumigating his barns to make sure they are safe for their eventual arrival.
Following the outbreak, the farm was forced to lay off 48 staff members; those 20 that remain are working on the cleanup efforts.