Background
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 was introduced to provide legal clarity on the basic welfare requirements on all animal owners and keepers in a single piece of national legislation.
Under the act, anyone who is cruel to an animal, or does not provide for its welfare needs, may be banned from owning animals, fined up to £20,000 and/or sent to prison.
More specific legislation is also applied to the particular circumstances in different sectors of industry.