The Government today (December 28) launched the "Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action".
 
     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong; the Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene), Mr Arsene Yiu; the Deputy Director of Housing (Estate Management), Mr Ricky Yeung; and the Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Leisure Services), Ms Ida Lee, among others, visited Tai Shing Street Market in Wong Tai Sin today to inspect on-site the strengthened rodent control measures adopted by the staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the vendors, and to officially start the Action.
 
     "In order to better consolidate strengths from various sectors within and outside the Government to participate in anti-rodent work, the Government commenced the Action today," said Mr Tse.
 
     "The most important purpose of the Action is to encourage all sectors of the society and member of the public to collaborate with the Government to collectively strengthen anti-rodent work."
 
     The Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, the Deputy Directory of Housing and the Deputy Directory of Leisure and Cultural Services, then introduced the strengthened anti-rodent measures undertaken by the three departments under the Action. The FEHD will continue to tackle rodent infestation through surveillance, prevention and control, including the launch of the "Year-end Clean-up Campaign" at the same time as the Action to enhance the environmental hygiene condition of districts; continuous anti-rodent operations in rodent blackspots and premises under their management; wider application of new technologies and tools; and promotion of the issued rodent control guidelines and management rules to relevant departments and stakeholders, etc.
 
     The Housing Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will formulate targeted rodent prevention and control strategies and measures for raising the effectiveness of their work with reference to FEHD's guidelines and management rules for premises under their management (e.g. public rental housing estates, parks and open spaces, etc).
 
     Before the commencement of the Action, the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) met with stakeholders from various sectors, including those from pest control, building management, market and hawker organisation, food premises and construction sector, etc, to introduce to them the Action, and seek their support for eliminating rodents' fundamental survival conditions of food, harbourage and passages from different areas.
 
     "I call on everyone to proactively participate in and support the Action to collectively create a more liveable environment for Hong Kong. The FEHD will continue to provide support for various concerned sectors and the public, including disseminating relevant rodent control guidelines and information, and offering advice for particular sectors," said Mr Tse.
 
     To complement the Action, the EEB will set up a thematic homepage on December 29. With ongoing updated contents, the thematic homepage will assist the public in grasping the efforts made by relevant government departments and stakeholders in rodent control as well as useful information about rodent control.

Ends/Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:58

NNNN