Lei nº 11.794/2008 (Lei Arouca)

Lei nº 11.794/2008 · Federal Government of Brazil

Brazil’s national law governing animals in research and teaching, built on a federal council and institutional ethics committees.

01 What It Is

Lei nº 11.794, of 8 October 2008, known as the Lei Arouca, is Brazil’s federal law regulating the creation and use of animals in teaching and scientific research. It governs vertebrate animals used for these purposes, dogs among them, and replaced the earlier Lei 6.638 of 1979.

02 What It Covers

The law creates the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA) to set rules and accredit institutions, and requires any institution using animals for teaching or research to establish a Commission on Ethics in the Use of Animals (CEUA) to review and approve protocols. It frames standards for the housing and care of laboratory animals and for the conduct and justification of procedures.

03 How It Is Checked

Oversight is two-tiered: CONCEA sets national rules and registers and accredits institutions, while each institution’s CEUA reviews protocols and conditions on the ground. Working without the required accreditation and ethics-committee approval places an institution outside the law.

04 Why It Matters

For dogs used in Brazilian laboratories and teaching, this is the law that makes their use a regulated, reviewable activity, requiring ethical approval and national oversight rather than leaving research animals unprotected.

Common Questions

Is it law?

Yes. Lei 11.794/2008, known as the Lei Arouca, is Brazil’s federal law regulating the use of animals in teaching and scientific research, replacing the earlier Lei 6.638 of 1979.

Who oversees it?

The National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation, CONCEA, within the federal government, which sets rules and accredits institutions.

What does it require?

Any institution using animals for teaching or research must establish a Commission on Ethics in the Use of Animals to review and approve protocols, and it frames standards for the housing and care of laboratory animals.

How is oversight structured?

Two-tiered: CONCEA sets national rules and accredits institutions, while each institution’s ethics committee reviews protocols and conditions on the ground. Working without accreditation and ethics-committee approval places an institution outside the law.

Who does it apply to?

Institutions using vertebrate animals, dogs among them, for teaching or research in Brazil.

Why does it matter?

It makes the use of dogs in Brazilian laboratories and teaching a regulated, reviewable activity requiring ethical approval and national oversight.

Primary sources

Lei nº 11.794/2008, consolidated textplanalto.gov.br