In April, 1964, veterinary surgeon F.D.T. Good offered his first-hand account of the ‘Smarden Affair’. Good recounted how, throughout 1963, he had struggled to explain the sudden deaths of dogs and various farm animals near the village of Smarden in the Weald of Kent . This paper will examine a local pollution incident in the 1960s, which assumed national and international significance. It will assess the importance of Rachel Carson and of opposition to insecticides for the nascent eco-activist movement in Britain. In particular, it will assess the traditional argument that Carson had less impact in Britain because of pre-existent governmental measures. Through an examination of unpublished governmental papers, district council papers, local and national newspapers, and specialist journals, this paper will chart the causes and consequences of the Smarden poisoning incident in Kent in 1963. In addition to the governmental and expert scientific responses, I shall investigate the social, cultural, and political implications and impact of this toxic waste incident, which seemed to confirm Carson’s dire warnings about the dangers of pesticides; and the possible pitfalls of the Green Revolution. As the Smarden Affair progressed, veterinary surgeon Good questioned whether science was working effectively for agriculture. This paper will place the Smarden incident within the broader historical framework of the British reception of Silent Spring, the emergence of modern environmentalism, and the governmental response to insecticides, pollution, and hazardous waste. As its fiftieth anniversary approaches, the ‘Smarden Affair’ warrants further historical investigation.