In the UK, eradication and control of Johne's disease in cattle has been at the individual herd level, and a number of herds are accredited free of the disease as defined by Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS). By necessity, the requirements to reach and maintain accreditation are onerous and involve the testing of all cattle in the herd over 2 years of age for antibodies to Map annually. Consequently, the majority of members of CHeCS programmes are pedigree herds selling breeding stock where a premium is commanded by high health status. We have developed a Johne's risk assessment (JRA) scheme, particularly directed to commercial herds where the burden of whole herd testing is not financially viable, as a rational approach towards investigating a herd's Johne's status. The JRA scheme is consistent with advice from the UK government and offers a logical classification of herd status according to the risk of presence of Map based on the purchase and clinical history over the preceding 10 years and the results of annual targeted sampling. Green, amber and red colour coding is used respectively to indicate herds with a low, medium or high risk of having cattle infected with Map and over time; herds have the opportunity to progress to a lower risk category if they purchase replacement stock solely from sources with a higher health status and have consistently negative targeted sampling results. The JRA scheme provides a framework for vets and farmers to investigate the Johne's status of a farm, and emphasises the impact of buying in replacement stock from herds with an unknown health status. If all laboratory results are clear, the farmer can work towards improving the herd's risk status in future years, however if targeted testing reveals evidence of Map infection, there is an impetus for vet and farmer to develop an appropriate control programme.