A blister on a cow's tongue at the McCambridge farm was all the evidence the local vet needed before immediately contacting the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture.
Twenty-four hours later and locals in Glenann, outside Cushendall, Co Antrim, were reeling yesterday at the confirmation of the third case of foot-and-mouth in the North.
"I saw the blister and immediately knew it symbolised complete disaster," the vet, Mr Randal McDonnell, said.
He had made numerous visits to the farm last week because Mr McCambridge was worried by the high mortality rate of his lambs. A post-mortem on one new-born failed to show any signs of foot-and-mouth.
"But by last Friday night he complained two or three of his cows weren't acting themselves, and that a few sheep were lame," added Mr McDonnell, who is also an independent councillor for the area. Almost 300 animals belonging to Sean McCambridge lay dead in his outhouses yesterday afternoon. The only movement in his empty fields was the progress of a JCB as it dug a five-foot trench for the carcasses.
The trench would be filled with wood, straw, coal and diesel before the animals were piled high and the material ignited. British soldiers in jeeps, drafted in to help build the pyre, later wove through the RUC checkpoint in the bustling village on their way to the farm.
Police officers at Bridge Street diverted disappointed tourists away from some of the many scenic roadways close to the farm. Locals attending a funeral in St Mary's Church huddled in groups as they talked quietly. A spokesman for the department admitted officials were waiting with "bated breath" for test results from neighbouring farms.
"The Glens have the most dense population of sheep probably in Europe. It's the worst place imaginable for an outbreak to have occurred".
Mrs Gore, an elderly neighbour of the McCambridges, said her family could hear the animals being shot on Saturday. The sound had reverberated up the valley to her home which overlooks the farm. "It was not nice for our young ones to hear that. They'll always remember it".
She said their family's farm was inside the one-kilometre zone already identified for the cull. They were awaiting the call to make arrangements for the slaughter of her nephew's 120 animals.
However, many local farmers remained unclear as to whether they would be included in the cull. "There's not much we can do about it, I suppose . . . just wait for the axe to fall," said one.
"The phone hasn't stopped ringing, and there are all kinds of rumours going around. There is even talk of other suspect cases in the area.
"But there is definitely a feeling that this could be the beginning of the end for the Glens of Antrim. Once it gets in here, we're all finished," he added.
The fact that farmers often passed through other farms to get to their own holdings and that holdings were often some distance from original farms meant the disease would be hard to contain.
The North's Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that Glenariff Park, near Cushendall, was being closed until further notice.
The destination is usually one of Northern Ireland's most popular tourist attractions over the Easter holiday.