The cost of eggs in California has jumped nearly 70% in the past month, reaching $8.97 for a dozen. The price hike, highlighted in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s December egg markets report, owes largely to a series of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks that have decimated the state’s poultry flocks.

Egg prices in California have soared nearly 70% due to a severe bird flu outbreak that has decimated poultry flocks, leading to shortages and economic strain.

Egg prices in California have increased to nearly $9 per dozen in some areas due to the outbreak of bird flu across the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.