This law is about making sure animals are treated well and not hurt. You need to know that animals can feel things, like pain and happiness. This means people who own animals or take care of them must make sure the animals are okay.

The law says what you can and can't do to animals. It also has rules for using animals in things like science experiments and teaching. You can find out more about using animals in research, testing, and teaching by looking at the process for [approving the use of animals](link to the relevant section).

There are special groups that help make sure animals are treated well. These groups are called the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee. They help create rules, called codes of welfare, that say how to treat animals nicely. They also approve codes of ethical conduct, which are like guides for doing the right thing when working with animals.

The law also gets rid of an old law called the Animals Protection Act 1960. This new law replaces the old one to make sure animals are treated better.