Análise do cumprimento da legislação referente ao uso de animais no ensino e na pesquisa científica na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The use of animals in teaching and scientific research covers social and ethical issues and still brings conflicts between the scientific community and society. In response to pressure from society, Ethics Committees on Animal Use (CEUA) have been consolidated in several countries to ensure the welfare of animals. In Brazil, with the Law 11794 of 2008, the existence of these committees became mandatory in educational and research institutions, whose main role is to analyze all proposals involving animals in the institution, considering their relevance and the 3Rs Principle, judging them based on their ethical acceptability and minimizing the damage imposed on animals. Given the above, the goal of this study is to perform a diagnosis of the ethical and legal review process of the CEUA at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), by understanding the process of submission and evaluation of submitted teaching and research proposals and identifying inconsistencies in these proposals and in the ethical review process. At the end of the study, it was detected that the main reasons for not immediately approving the submitted proposals are related to the timeline, methodology and sample size. It was also detected a weakness in the way the consubstantiated opinion is presented and how it is filled out by the Committee, with inconsistencies in the standardization of decisions. Even with these findings, it can be concluded that the CEUA-UFRN strives to ensure compliance with the legislation regarding the use of animals in teaching and research at UFRN, having become, over time, more rigid in favoring the immediate approval of protocols, and being attentive to the principles of reduction and refinement.