The Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) today (June 29) met trade representatives on the anti-rodent work of the current-term Government, to share experiences and strengthen co-operation. The exchanges would help the Pest Control Steering Committee to review the progress and data in the upcoming inter-departmental meeting as well as to formulate future work plans.
 
　    A spokesman of the EEB said that, through a multi-pronged approach, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) caught around 52,200 live rodents from July 2022 to May 2023, about 58 per cent more than that in the corresponding period in 2021 and 2022 (33,000), out of which around 17,800 live rodents were caught by the 19 overnight rodent control teams set up by the FEHD in July last year, accounting for more than 34 per cent of the total number of live rodents caught by the FEHD across the territory in the same period. Trade representatives highly appreciated the environmental hygiene and anti-rodent work of the Government, including the effective outcome of the FEHD’s overnight rodent control teams.
 
      The current-term Government has introduced various new measures since last July to tackle environmental hygiene black spots, combat shop front extension, promote anti-rodent work and review ordinances related to environmental hygiene such as raising the level of fixed penalty, etc. For rodent prevention and control, the Government launched the "Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action" in December 2022, to consolidate strengthens from various sectors of the community in the fight against rodent infestation.
 
      In the meeting, trade representatives from different sectors (including market, property management, catering industry and construction industry) reported their progress under the Action, including complying with the rodent control guidelines and management rules; keeping their premises free from rodent infestation; applying new techniques and tools more widely; and participating in training seminars and promotional activities on rodent prevention and control. 

     Targeting the rodent problems in public markets, the FEHD engaged three anti-rodent services contractors in February 2023 to conduct a three-month trial scheme in Shek Tong Tsui Market in Central and Western District, Shui Wo Street Market in Kwun Tong District and Heung Che Street Market in Tsuen Wan District. Under the trial scheme, the monthly average of live and dead rodents removed from the three markets was 180, an increase of around 177 per cent over the monthly average in 2022 (65). Representatives from the market sector gave positive evaluation to the scheme and suggested sharing the experience with stakeholders in other markets.

　   The participants of the meeting also appreciated the efforts made by the property management industry and the Government departments. Property management companies followed up on the environmental hygiene and anti-rodent work in premises under their respective management. For "three-nil" buildings, the trial scheme of including anti-rodent services in the one-off cleansing services to the common parts has been launched in seven District Offices. For public housing estates, the Housing Authority has stepped up daily cleansing at its public housing estates, and formulated and implemented targeted anti-rodent measures. More intensive rodent control measures were progressing smoothly at 80 targeted housing estates every year, including conducting hundreds of joint cleansing operations with the FEHD and the district stakeholders.
 
     The catering industry agreed that the Government’s measures targeting premises with the FEHD’s licenses helped to improve the environmental hygiene and tackle rodent infestation. Since November 2022, the FEHD has launched a trial scheme in various districts to allow licensed food premises to place large-size waste containers in their adjacent rear lanes; and the Environmental Protection Department has also started a trial scheme since June 2023 to place purple food waste collection bins at some of the abovementioned rear lanes. The arrangement of temporary storage of waste until collection at appropriate times achieved good results. By the end of April 2023, the FEHD completed the introduction of new licensing condition to all fresh provision shops to strengthen the regulations on handling and receiving meat and poultry, so as to prevent the meat and poultry from the invasion or contamination by pests or the ambient environment.
 
      The participants of the meeting also shared their anti-rodent work at construction sites, including setting up dedicated cleansing and anti-rodent teams by contractors, making use of new tools such as rodent trapping devices driven by pressurised gas and solar ultrasonic rodent repellers, etc.
 
       To further enhance students’ awareness of environmental cleanliness and knowledge of rodent prevention and control, the Education Bureau (EDB) and the FEHD jointly organised the School Cleaning Video Production Competition this year. Around 200 videos from about 150 secondary or primary schools were submitted. The winning entries have been uploaded to the EDB YouTube channel for public access (www.youtube.com/@edbgovhk). In addition, members of the trade were encouraged to attend courses and seminars on rodent prevention and control organised by academic institutions so as to equip themselves with the latest information and trends on anti-rodent work in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas.
 
       In the meeting, the FEHD briefed and exchanged views with the trade representatives on the new rodent surveillance method trialled by the department. Specifically, the FEHD has been making use of the thermal cameras with Artificial Intelligence technology at individual survey locations for tracking rodent activities, with a view to formulating a more representative new Rodent Infestation Rate (RIR) to progressively replace the existing RIR for a more accurate reflection of the situation of rodent infestation and assist in the planning of anti-rodent operation.

        The spokesman stressed that, the Government expressed gratitude for the efforts of all sectors of the community and the general public in anti-rodent work in the past year, and appealed for their support in a persistent manner. While consolidating the concerted efforts made by various sectors and Government departments, the public is encouraged to continue to participate in anti-rodent actions and prevent rodent infestation by eliminating the three survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages.
 
        The meeting was chaired by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong. Participants of the meeting came from 16 organisations or institutions, including the Pest Control Personnel Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Pest Management Association, the Hong Kong Property Services Alliance, the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, the Federation of Hong Kong Property Management Industry, the Hong Kong Association of Property Services Agents, the Hong Kong Institute of Housing, the Hong Kong Housing Society, Link, the Federation of Hong Kong, Kowloon, New Territories Hawker Associations, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, the Institute of Dining Professionals, the Hong Kong Japanese Food and Cuisine Association, the Hong Kong Construction Association and the Hong Kong General Building Contractors Association. 

Ends/Thursday, June 29, 2023
Issued at HKT 20:19

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