Live poultry markets reopen across region in aftermath of bird flu outbreak

Live bird markets have reopened on Long Island and across the region after being shuttered for more than a week because of the latest outbreak of bird flu, which also impacted more than 99,000 ducks at an Aquebogue farm.

All 80 sites were cleaned and disinfected, according to state Department of Agriculture and Markets officials. Saturday was the first time they were allowed to receive poultry since Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an order on Feb. 6 to close all live markets in Suffolk, Nassau and Westchester counties, as well as in New York City.

That came after seven detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in markets in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Birds at the markets with infections were euthanized while those at the markets with no detections were told to "sell or otherwise dispose of all poultry."

In January, an HPAI outbreak at the Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue resulted in its entire 99,000-bird flock being euthanized. That property is under quarantine and being sanitized.

Owner Doug Corwin said he expects the quarantine of the farm to end in a couple of months, and that the 10-kilometer quarantine around his farm to end in a few weeks, though it’s up to U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors.

But there could be some signs of new life for the farm. Corwin said some of the eggs he was able to recover are ready to hatch in a new, safe location. They will be raised in another undisclosed location.

Corwin has said the eggs are the only chance for his family-owned business, which has been around for more than 100 years, to survive. It will take two generations of ducks from the original 10,000 or so eggs to fully restart operations, he said. Full operations aren’t expected to begin until sometime next year, he said.

Meanwhile, the USDA recently gave conditional approval to a vaccine by New Jersey-based Zoetis that targets a recent strain of HPAI. Corwin has long advocated use of a vaccine as a tool against the highly contagious virus instead of euthanizing entire flocks.

But farmers should not expect to see a vaccine anytime soon, officials said.

"This conditional license does not mean that USDA has approved the use of HPAI vaccine or that poultry producers can purchase or use the vaccines at this time," a USDA spokesman told Newsday in an email. "This is simply a normal step in the research and development phase, not in the implementation of a vaccine strategy."

The agency said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will be outlining a strategy to combat avian flu in the coming days.

The USDA also has told companies that use raw ingredients such as uncooked meat, unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized eggs to review their safety plans as domestic and wild cats have contracted avian flu after eating food with these products. Some fell seriously ill while others died. Pasteurizing and cooking can kill the virus.

But raw products continue to be popular. Liz Wines, of the family-owned Ty Llwyd Farm in Northville on the North Fork, said the operation has continued to sell its raw milk and fresh eggs without impact from bird flu.

"So far our chickens are healthy," Wines said. "There are no signs of sickness. All are laying well."

The farm also sells raw, unpasteurized milk, and her dairy cows have not been impacted, she said. State inspectors take samples of the milk each month, and the farm has never received any notification of positive samples, she said. "All our birds and cows are healthy."

The farm also sells live chickens to consumers.

The local quarantine would mean the sale of poultry within that 10-kilometer range would be restricted. At the Talmage Agway in Riverhead, a receptionist said the company, which sells poultry cages, food and chicks (around the spring season), was taking orders for chicks. An owner didn’t return a call to say whether the quarantine would impact that.

"Peep! Peep! Are you ready for chick season?" Talmage’s website said. "We certainly are! Click the link below to fill out your order form." Consumers can buy chicks from Talmage between March 8 and May 31, and are encouraged to use a form to get their request in. "Remember that NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets requires a minimum purchase of at least 6 birds," Talmage noted.

"As the situation evolves, the state will continue to assess additional policies that are necessary to ensure the safety of animal and public health," said state agriculture and markets department spokeswoman Jola Szubielski. "Currently, there are no restrictions on the sale of baby chicks from stores in New York." However, there remains a 10-km USDA restriction on the sale of live poultry around the Aquebogue duck farm.

She said if poultry and poultry products are moving in or out of an HPAI control area, additional biosecurity and permits would be needed from the states involved.