This Act aims at promoting the welfare and good treatment of animals and seeks to protect animals from maltreatment. The 67 sections of this Act are divided into 8 Chapters: General provisions (1); Keeping of animals (2); Authorities (3); Supervision (4); Modification of requests (5); Offences (6); Miscellaneous (7); Entry into force and transitional provisions (8).
Section 3 outlines the general principles governing the keeping of animals: no animal shall be treated in such a way that unnecessary harm is caused. This principle is repeated in section 8 which provides for protection of animals when using genetic engineering or in breeding in general. Other sections in Chapter 2 provide, inter alia, for surgery and other interventions on animals (sect. 7), diseased animals (sect. 14), poultry breeding (sect. 21), importation of animals (sect. 28), animal transportation (sects. 29 and 30), slaughtering and similar measures (sect. 33). Chapters 3 and 4 deal with administration authorities, which are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the national level and county councils and municipal veterinarians at the local level, as well as with inspection and other measures of supervision.