Bovine paratuberculosis is increasing in importance in the Basque Country and in other regions of Spain. The Gipuzkoa provincial government has considered necessary to undertake a voluntary program. Since experiences with culling strategies have been rather disappointing in other regions, a mixed approach using vaccination and culling has been submitted and approved by the Spanish Animal Health and Drug Authorities. Due to fears of interference with tuberculosis diagnosis, this program is considered experimental and restricted to a maximum of 50 herds. In order to qualify to this program, the farms need to meet a series of epidemiological and trade conditions. The main points are having been free of tuberculosis for at least ten years, having a paratuberculosis prevalence of 5% or higher and selling no breeding animals. A commercial vaccine (SILIRUM™, CZ Veterinaria, Porriño, Pontevedra, Spain) will be given to all cattle at the beginning, and then to all replacer calves within their first 2 months of life. Fecal culture, ELISA, and comparative intradermal test are carried out prior to the first vaccination, and then yearly for, at least 5 years. A pilot study in a herd of 113 cattle has been run for one year and a half. This herd had a clinical incidence of paratuberculosis of about 8%, and a prevalence of 5.5% by fecal culture and 8.0% by ELISA at the beginning of the study. After the first year of control, no new clinical cases have appeared and the prevalence is 3.6% by fecal culture and 23.0% by ELISA. No interferences with the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis by the IDR test have been found after vaccination. These results are very encouraging and farmers and veterinarians are highly motivated to join the program, which would be the largest vaccination trial in cattle in Spain up to date.