The Environment and Ecology Bureau today (April 10) met trade representatives of the "Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action" to share the Government's experience in rodent and mosquito control, and to encourage the trade to continue strengthening co-operation with the Government in implementing effective rodent and mosquito control measures to protect public health.
 
Rodent control
 
     At the meeting, a representative of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) reported that in 2025, around 129 100 live rodents were trapped and around 28 100 dead rodents were collected, amounting to a total of around 157 200 rodents handled.
 
     The FEHD also introduced the new data-driven strategies to prevent and control rodent infestations. Since 2024, the FEHD has fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with artificial intelligence technology to monitor rodent activity and enumerate Rodent Absence Rate (RAR), providing a more accurate reflection of the situation of rodent infestation, and enabling the planning and implementation of more targeted measures. In the first half of 2025, the overall RAR was about 96 per cent, with 49 survey locations with RAR lower than 80 per cent, representing a drop by about 46 per cent (from 90 locations) and about 39 per cent (from 80 locations) compared with the first half and second half of 2024 respectively. These figures reflect that the FEHD's approach of taking targeted measures based on analysis of the RAR yields concrete results.
 
     To further enhance work effectiveness, the FEHD will allocate resources, according to RAR data, to locations with lower rate and conduct targeted anti-rodent operations. The FEHD has also regularly announced RAR data across districts on the thematic webpage to raise public awareness of rodent prevention and control.
 
     The FEHD also reported the progress of the Anti-rodent Charter launched in 2024. At the first stage, we cordially invited property management companies, owners' corporations, residents' organisations of private residential premises, the Hong Kong Housing Society, transitional housing, subsidised sales flats, Tenants Purchase Scheme estates and Pilot Scheme on "Joint Property Management" to sign the Charter. As at February this year, more than 770 organisations and groups have signed the Charter, covering about 720 000 households. Participants are committed to raise residents' awareness to keeping environmental hygiene and creating rodent-free environments. The FEHD will provide free anti-rodent technical support to organisations and groups that sign the Charter.
 
     In January this year, the FEHD launched the Anti-rodent Partner Awards 2026. Through commendation, the FEHD aims to continue to raise community awareness of rodent prevention and control. The FEHD has finished assessment and will organise an award presentation ceremony on April 23 this year to commend Anti-rodent Partners with excellent anti-rodent work.
 
     Having reviewed the implementation experience of the Charter in its first stage, the FEHD is planning to further expand the coverage of the Charter to include property management companies of shopping centres, enhancing the sustained benefits of the Charter and strengthening the overall rodent control effectiveness in the community.
 
     Representatives from different sectors (including markets, licensed hawkers, property management, catering industry and construction sector) were informed of the latest progress of the Government's rodent control work, and they expressed that they will continue to share the latest information with stakeholders. The FEHD also expressed readiness to provide more in-depth briefings on rodent control technologies when required. Representatives from the property management sector expressed their support for the call to extend the Charter to property management companies of shopping centres.
 
Mosquito control
 
     On mosquito control, the FEHD reported on the monitoring of Aedes albopictus in the community and at various control points. At the meeting, the FEHD also encouraged representatives of the property management sector to have their estate management companies subscribe to the Rapid Alert System, which issues notifications when gravidtrap indices in specific monitored areas reach alert levels, enabling the management companies and residents to be vigilant and adopt timely mosquito prevention measures.
 
     Besides, with warming weather and increased rainfall, gravidtrap indices are expected to rise. The FEHD has launched a series of enhanced measures to minimise the risk of mosquito infestation. Amongst others, the FEHD has earlier coordinated various relevant departments to carry out a territory-wide anti-mosquito campaign. District Environmental Hygiene Offices of the FEHD will convene meetings of the inter-departmental task forces on anti-mosquito work across districts, carry out mosquito prevention and control operations targeting surrounding areas of residences, schools, construction sites, public housing estates, hospitals, illegal cultivation sites, etc. and conduct ultra-low volume fogging operations regularly to eliminate adult mosquitoes. Moreover, the FEHD will liaise with site managers of construction sites, schools, etc. through relevant departments to remind them to implement anti-mosquito measures and provide technical advice.
 
     The FEHD shared common potential mosquito-breeding sites and corresponding response strategies at the meeting, urging participants of the meeting to actively encourage their stakeholders to carry out mosquito prevention and control work to mitigate the risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission.
 
Collaboration with the Trade
 
     The FEHD has collaborated with the Property Management Services Authority to formulate the Best Practice Guide on "Rodent Control in Residential Properties" and "Mosquito Prevention and Control in Residential Properties", which were published in February and March this year respectively. These provide property management companies and practitioners with practical information to strengthen rodent and mosquito prevention and control work.
 
     At the meeting, representatives of the construction industry and the LINK reported the progress of various areas of work under the Action, including conducting regular monitoring of rodent and mosquito infestation situations at their managed premises; complying with the rodent and mosquito control guidelines and management rules; maintaining rodent-free and mosquito-free premises; adopting new techniques and tools more widely; providing training seminars for frontline staff and participating in promotional activities on mosquito and rodent prevention and control.
 
     The Action has been introduced since the end of 2022 to consolidate strengths from the Government and various sectors of the community for a cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary, and community-wide approach to anti-rodent work. While various sectors and government departments are consolidating the rodent control work, the public is encouraged to actively participate in rodent prevention and control actions by eliminating the food, harbourage and passages of rodents.
 
     The meeting was chaired by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong. Participants of the meeting came from 17 organisations or institutions, namely the Hong Kong Housing Society, Link, People's Place, the Hong Kong Property Services Alliance, the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, the Federation of Hong Kong Property Management Industry, the Pest Control Personnel Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Pest Management Association, 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 Association of Restaurant Managers, the Hong Kong Japanese Food and Cuisine Association, the International Food and Beverage Association, the Hong Kong Construction Association and the Hong Kong General Building Contractors Association.

Ends/Friday, April 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 20:30

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