California's Proposition 12, an animal welfare law, is being targeted by the Trump administration in a bid to reduce egg prices.

The Agriculture Department on Wednesday said it will spend $1 billion to tackle the bird flu in a campaign to address soaring egg prices that appears, in a departure for the administration, to acknowledge the importance of imports to keep prices down.

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.