The English countryside is not what is used to be. Undoubtedly, the Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) crisis accelerated a downturn in the already struggling agriculture industry, but while affected farmers received generous compensation, small businesses were among the hardest hit. Now, faced with the reality the rural industry might soon be a thing of the past, communities are feeling increasingly isolated from their urban peers as they struggle to come to terms with an uncertain future. The question now being asked is: Is what appeared to be on the surface an agricultural crisis, actually a deeper crisis of culture?