LCQ8: Rodent prevention and control
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Question:
Rodent infestation has persisted in Hong Kong in recent years, affecting the living environment of the public and public health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of public complaints received by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) about illegal disposal of food waste and refuse by restaurants in the 18 districts across the territory over the past year; in view of the risk of rodent infestation posed by the disposal of food waste by restaurants, of the specific plans put in place by the FEHD for combating the problem, cleansing and enforcement, so as to eliminate the food sources of rodents;
(2) of the frequency and implementation details of the FEHD's current inspections and blitz checks to monitor outsourced rodent control contractors; how to prevent contractors from falsely reporting the effectiveness of rodent control work through improper handling of trapped rodents; whether it will further improve the deployment of baits and bait boxes, including different bait options such as heated sweet potatoes and other suitable food items, thereby enhancing the actual effectiveness of rodent trapping and control;
(3) of the total number of participants that have signed the Anti-rodent Charter in Hong Kong to date; of the regular monitoring and effectiveness review mechanisms put in place by the FEHD for the participants to ensure their due performance of rodent prevention and control commitments; in view of the recurrent rodent infestation in Hong Kong, of the regular cross-departmental long-term plans put in place by the FEHD to eliminate at source the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourages and dispersal routes, thereby sustaining the overall environmental hygiene standards across the territory;
(4) given that the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address has proposed to enhance 1823 services, whether the FEHD will make use of the rodent complaint data to better identify rodent blackspots and adjust prevention and control resources; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) of the coverage, trial progress and effectiveness data of the FEHD's current application of various technological rodent control tools in various districts; whether it will fully expand the application of technologies such as smart monitoring and digitalised rodent infestation assessment, establish a regular data monitoring and precise enforcement mechanism to replace the traditional approach of relying solely on manual inspections, and formulate long-term strategies and performance indicators for tech-driven rodent control?
Reply:
President,
Pest and rodent control is an important and ongoing task of the Government. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has all along been adopting targeted measures to eliminate the fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages. Regarding the questions from the Hon Chan Pok-chi, the reply is as follows:
(1) In the past year (i.e. from October 2025 to September 2026), the FEHD received a total of 654 complaints concerning the illegal disposal of food waste and refuse by restaurants.
The FEHD attaches great importance to the environmental hygiene problems (including rodent infestation) caused by the illegal disposal of food waste and refuse by restaurants. It has therefore been conducting regular inspections of licensed or permitted food premises across the territory while taking stringent enforcement action against non-compliance. For premises with repeated contraventions, the FEHD also conducts surprise operations to step up enforcement.
In recent years, the FEHD has implemented a trial scheme to regulate disposal arrangement of waste generated by food premises, which allows licensed food premises, subject to specific conditions, to place large-size covered waste containers in the adjoining rear lanes to temporarily store refuse awaiting collection, with a view to improving the environmental hygiene of the rear lanes concerned and thereby effectively prevent rodent infestation. At present, 192 rear lanes across the territory have been incorporated into the scheme.
In response to recent incidents involving pest and rodent infestation and food hygiene in food premises, the FEHD launched a two-week special inspection and enforcement operation codenamed "Operation Skynet" from September 30. In addition to stepping up inspections of the environmental hygiene and food handling conditions of food premises, the operation also focuses on examining whether premises have implemented prevention and control at source, including the handling of refuse and food waste, food storage, rodent prevention facilities, hygiene in back-of-house and storage areas, as well as environmental factors that may facilitate the ingress and egress of rodents or pests. Based on the inspection results, the FEHD will take enforcement action against the operators, put forward specific improvement requirements, and conduct follow-up inspections on key or problematic premises to ensure that operators continuously implement the improvement measures. As at October 6, the FEHD has inspected 715 supermarkets, 123 food premises and 114 other food premises, issued 82 Notices of Elimination of Vermin, 38 Notices of Requirement to Cleanse and Repair Food Premises and one warning, and instituted 25 prosecutions.
(2) The FEHD has established a stringent mechanism for monitoring its outsourced pest control contractors. In addition to conducting regular inspections, the FEHD reviews and approves operational plans submitted by contractors and, based on a risk-based approach, carries out surprise inspections and spot checks having regard to complaints received, inspection findings, contractors' performance and the actual circumstances of individual locations. The FEHD also verifies contractors' work records to comprehensively monitor whether rodent control operations are carried out in accordance with contractual requirements and operational guidelines.
To further strengthen the monitoring of contractors' handling of captured rodents and their work records, the FEHD has implemented enhancement measures, requiring contractors to specify in their work plans the designated work location with greater detail, strengthening trap management measures to ensure the accuracy of rodent control reports, and maintaining photographic records with time and geolocation stamps. In addition, the FEHD requires contractors to ensure that all frontline workers and supervisory staff are fully familiar with and comply with the relevant operational guidelines, and to provide professional training for frontline pest control staff.
In respect of the use of baits for rodent trapping, the FEHD tests different food baits at individual locations according to the actual circumstances and deploys suitable mixed baits, as rodents' food preferences may be affected by environmental factors, human activity patterns and rodent behaviour. Frontline staff also regularly inspects and replaces the baits to ensure their effectiveness in attracting rodents.
Apart from conventional rodent cages, the FEHD also deploys a variety of trapping devices, having regard to site conditions and the level of rodent infestation. These include Ekomille in public markets and refuse collection points, as well as glue traps placed during nighttime operations.
(3) Effective rodent control requires the concerted efforts of stakeholders and members of the public, in maintaining good hygiene habits and proactively adopt rodent prevention measures. The Environment and Ecology Bureau coordinates the Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action, consolidating strengths from the government departments and various sectors of the community, including the property management sector, market stall operators and hawkers, the catering industry, the construction industry and the pest control trade, for a cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary and community-wide approach to rodent prevention and control. The Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology also chairs the interdepartmental Pest control Steering Committee, which regularly reviews measures on rodent prevention and control implemented across various departments and organisations, formulates strategies and drives departments to take the lead in strengthening rodent prevention and control efforts within the sectors under their purview.
The FEHD has also invited property management companies of residential premises and shopping centres, owners' corporations and residents' organisations to sign the Anti-rodent Charter, and to assign anti-rodent liaison ambassadors to coordinate anti-rodent efforts within their premises. The FEHD will conduct on-site inspections and provide targeted rodent prevention and control advice. The Charter was launched at the end of 2024. To date, about 840 residential premises and about 130 shopping centres signed the Charter, covering about 780 000 households and about 8 400 shops respectively.
(4) and (5) The FEHD has fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with AI technology to conduct Rodent Activity Survey (RAS) and generate Rodent Absence Rate (RAR) to monitor the rodent infestation situation in districts. At present, the scope of the RAS covers public places under the FEHD, public housing estates under the Housing Department, parks managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, rental housing estates under the Hong Kong Housing Society, fixed-pitch hawker areas and village house areas.
The FEHD adopts a data-driven and risk-based rodent prevention and control strategy, analysing data including from the RAR, frontline inspections, public complaints, actual environmental conditions and the views of local stakeholders, to comprehensively assess the rodent infestation risks of different locations. Resources are deployed, on a risk-based approach, to locations with higher rodent infestation risks, to continuously conduct targeted rodent control operations, with a view to optimising resource utilisation and enhancing the overall effectiveness of rodent control work. Should private premises be found to be affected by rodent infestation, the FEHD will proactively conduct inspections and provide professional technical advice. Where necessary, Notice of Elimination of Vermin will be issued to the responsible persons, requiring them to properly handle the rodent infestation within a specified period.
The Government will continue to monitor the rodent infestation situation in Hong Kong and encourage more stakeholders to participate in rodent prevention and control, with a view to jointly building a rodent-free community.
Ends/Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Issued at HKT 13:00
Issued at HKT 13:00
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