In California, eggs are more expensive due to a combination of factors including higher production costs, bird flu and the requirement that eggs be raised in a cage-free system. In January, a dozen eggs in California cost nearly $9, up about 70% since the previous month.

America’s dairy industry is being ravaged by bird flu, leading to a significant decline in milk production in many states, including California, the nation’s largest dairy-producing state that hit a 20-year low in 2024.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is expected “in the coming days” to announce a new strategy for fighting the bird flu outbreak.

But the study, whose publication was delayed by a pause in public communications by the agency, leaves key questions unanswered.

Two cats that belonged to Michigan dairy workers exposed to bird flu died after being infected with the virus last year