The research involved an intensive programme concerning the aftermath and implications of Foot and Mouth (FMD) with a view to informing rural recovery initiatives.

• Project Dates: 2001
• Project Leader: Johanne Allinson
• Staff: Johanne Allinson, Katy Bennett, Terry Carroll, Andrew Donaldson, Jeremy Franks, Philip Lowe, Jeremy Phillipson, Marian Raley, Charles Scott, Angela Tregear and Neil Ward
• Sponsors: North West Development Agency, the Countryside Agency and the Prince's Trust

The research included several elements:

(i) review and analysis of secondary data concerning the impact of FMD in Cumbria;

(ii) a survey of the impacts of FMD on farm businesses;

(iii) a community case study into the impacts of FMD in the Northern Fells, including a focused farm survey and a study of household, business and community responses;

(iv) consumer focus groups concerning the impacts of FMD on consumer attitudes; and

(v) a review of the Cumbrian press coverage of the FMD outbreak.