Carwyn Jones criticised the plan

He told the Welsh Assembly's agriculture committee - gathered to scrutinise his handling of the crippling, 11-month-long affair - he would have acted sooner than Westminster to stamp out the disease.

Meanwhile, Shadow Wales Secretary Nigel Evans has called up on the Government to tighten meat import controls, fearing that Welsh farming and tourist industries could not withstand another outbreak.

Both calls came on the anniversary of the first confirmed Welsh outbreak of the disease in Anglesey - and on the day that farmers in North Yorkshire awaited results of tests taken from sheep with suspect lesions on Tuesday.

Foot-and-mouth was officially vanquished across the UK on January 15.

But Wales had actually been declared free of the disease in December, after a year which ravaged the agriculture and tourism sectors.

Carwyn's call

But on Wedneday in Cardiff Bay, Mr Jones told AMs that, in retrospect, the movement ban should have been imposed earlier, as the Scottish Executive was able to do.

Nigel Evans: Commons question

The parliament in Edinburgh has greater powers than the assembly in Cardiff, and Mr Jones even said he was not aware of the emergency procedures when the disease hit Wales.

Explaining his actions in response to a report presented by members, Mr Jones said: "In Scotland, they immediately proceeded to court action.

"I knew there were plans in place but I was also aware they were not something that could be relied on because of the situation that we faced."

'Unprecendented spread'

The administration is keen to wrestle control of some portions of agriculture policy from Whitehall.

Mr Jones said initial requests had not been refused by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

One thing that would help Welsh farmers and British farmers would be to ban any substandard meat from coming into this country

Nigel Evans MP

Wales' chief vet Tony Edwards said the plan was not "inherently wrong" but had been fatally undermined because the disease was not identified immediately.

"We have to remember the disease was in the country for three weeks before we knew it was here," he said.

"That gave it the opportunity to spread in a way that was unprecedented."

The UK Government has been submitting its disease contingency plan to the European Commission annually, incorporating guidelines based on the previous foot-and-mouth outbreak, in 1967, with some modifications.

Meanwhile, Mr Evans called for action on meat imports at the House of Commons.

"One thing that would help Welsh farmers and British farmers would be to ban any substandard meat from coming into this country," he said during Prime Minister's Question Time.