ANKARA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye said on Wednesday it was closing all livestock markets nationwide to contain the spread of a highly contagious strain of foot-and-mouth disease, which has severely impacted the country's agricultural sector.
In a statement, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said it had identified a new serotype of the disease that worsened the outbreak, attributing its spread to increased animal movement following the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in early June, which is traditionally marked by livestock slaughter.
