The concept relies on a ‘systems-to-practices-to-systems’ – process. ISAP starts off by identifying different practices in the full range of production systems, then performs interdisciplinary assessments (including measures for all the above five priority areas) of promising alternative and innovative practices, and finally recommends novel combinations of, and ways to integrate alternative practices into current, intensive production systems.
The project foundation will be an inventory of information on current practices, including alternative and innovative practices. The information will be collected using national stakeholder input, and the different practices will further be evaluated and classified by a range of experts. Practices which show promise within the ISAP priority areas are then studied using extensive interdisciplinary field-studies and experimental studies. The influence of practices of early piglet and broiler management and antimicrobial usage on the animal as well as on risks for public health will be assessed. Further, practices are evaluated in the socio-economic context of production systems, to evaluate feasibility, economic impact and market potential, and to produce recommendations for systems with novel combinations of practices.