The assembly worked with MAFF and DEFRA during the crisis

The union says open pyres to burn animal carcassess should never have been allowed and it wants to see further research on vaccinating livestock against the virus.

The report comes as Prince Charles visits Powys to meet farming and tourism leaders in an area still trying to recover from the outbreak.

Last week, the UK leadership of the NFU criticised the ease with which illegal meat was able to be imported into Britain and the speed with which the disease was able to spread.

The union also called for fines for airlines passengers caught smuggling meat from overseas.

Welsh verdict

Now NFU Cymru has compiled its view of how the crisis was handled in Wales.

Its report, 'Lessons That Might Be Learned for the Future', makes a number of recommendations on contingency planning and control strategy for future possible outbreaks, with an emphasis on co-ordinating the reponse from Cardiff.

Sheep and cattle farmers faced ruin

NFU Cymru president, Hugh Richards said: "For many farmers, on top of all the pressures they are already facing, foot-and-mouth will end their farming lives.

"It is difficult to overstate the overriding sense of loss and waste - emotional as much as financial - which farmers feel about the whole episode.

"This report highlights what lessons must be learned to prevent such a disastrous episode ever happening again.

"Despite animal health not being a devolved responsibility there is evidence that the Scottish Parliament was, on occasion, able to exercise policies differently.

"We feel there should be full devolution of powers more in line with Scotland."

Power transfer

Rural Affairs Minister Carwyn Jones is reportedly sympathetic to the views, calling on Westminster to hand over power for farming.

Conservative AM Glyn Davies, who chairs the rural affairs committee, said he agreed with the views.

Communities all over Wales are still counting the cost of foot-and-mouth.

Dozens of footpaths in the Brecon Beacons remain closed - weeks after Wales was declared disease free - because infected animals were slaughtered on farms close to public routes.

"It seemed to us the assembly were not getting the information fast enough out of Defra," said Peredur Hughes, the President Elect of NFU Cymru.

"Our office in London were telling us about decisions Defra made, but the assembly did not seem to know anything about it," he added.

In total, the crisis in Wales is estimated to have cost nearly �500m.

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