Animal cruelty laws in Victoria will soon recognise for the first time that animals suffer pain and fear.

The state government's first animal welfare strategy has revealed plans for a major shake-up to protect animals in domestic, agricultural and natural settings.

New laws, to be drafted in 2018, will allow for earlier intervention to prevent animal cruelty and better reflect modern community expectations of their treatment.

In recent years shocking incidents have emerged including the discovery of 22 horses that died of starvation on trainer Bruce Akers' Bulla property in 2016.

And in the same year disturbing footage from Echuca abattoir Riverside Meats showed animals being beaten and stabbed.