Animal Welfare Act 1999
- Reprint as at:
- 2025-12-17
- Assent:
- 1999-10-14
- Commencement:
- see section 1(2)
The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.
Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.
This Act is administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
An Act—
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to recognise that animals are sentient:
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to require owners of animals, and persons in charge of animals, to attend properly to the welfare of those animals:
- to specify conduct that is or is not permissible in relation to any animal or class of animals:
- to provide a process for approving the use of animals in research, testing, and teaching:
- to establish a National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and a National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee:
- to provide for the development and issue of codes of welfare and the approval of codes of ethical conduct:


