Hong Kong Launches Anti-Rodent Charter to Promote Environmental Hygiene and Community Cooperation

FEHD launches Anti-rodent Charter for residential premises

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (December 31) the launch of the Anti-rodent Charter (the Charter) for residential buildings and related commercial units to promote residents' awareness of environmental hygiene and encourage them to cultivate good habits with a view to working together for the target of a rodent-free environment. The department invites property management companies, owners' corporations, residents' organisations of private residential premises, the Hong Kong Housing Society, transitional housing, subsidised sales flats and Tenants Purchase Scheme estates to sign the Charter.

Premises participating in the Charter will undertake to assign anti-rodent liaison ambassadors to co-ordinate anti-rodent efforts. These ambassadors will carry out regular inspections, arrange necessary repairs and maintenance of facilities, and ensure proper cleaning and refuse removal at the housing estates or buildings. Besides implementing anti-rodent measures, participants have to supervise the quality and performance of the hired anti-rodent service contractors and maintain relevant records of anti-rodent work. They are also responsible for conveying anti-rodent messages to residents through promotion and education, encouraging residents to cultivate good habits in personal hygiene and maintain a clean environment.

Participants will receive free anti-rodent technical support from the FEHD, including invitations to attend pest control seminars organised by the FEHD. Additionally, the FEHD will present Charter certificates and stickers to participants and publish a list of participating organisations and premises on a dedicated webpage in recognition of their efforts.

The spokesman highlighted that the department is considering extending the Charter to other sectors in due course, based on the experience of the first phase of the Anti-rodent Charter, with a view to collaborating on the creation of a more livable environment.

Details of the Charter have been uploaded to the FEHD's Anti-rodent Charter Website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/anti_rodent_charter.html).

The spokesman emphasised that effective rodent prevention and control hinges on the co-operation of government departments, relevant sectors, stakeholders, as well as members of the public to bolster anti-rodent efforts in their respective areas. Members of the public should maintain good environmental hygiene and eliminate the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages, i.e. the elimination of the food sources and hiding places of rodents as well as blockage of their dispersal routes.

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Julia Leung, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, met the media this evening (April 7). Following are Mr Chan's remarks at the media session:

Reporter: What tools does the Government have to handle the situation of the market and will Hong Kong consider a national team investor equivalent to intervene? Should the markets keep dropping, what is the bottom line for the state of the market before countermeasures will be considered?

Financial Secretary: I think Julia has explained very clearly the situation in the Hong Kong stock market. Basically, the market has been functioning orderly. There are substantial selling but also buying interests. The spread between the two has been very tight, indicating that the buying power remains very strong.

Hong Kong is a free port, and we encourage capital and investors from different parts of the world to take part in our capital market. Over the years, we have been taking a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of our capital market, no matter whether it is improving the listing regime, lowering the transaction costs, expanding the markets, attracting investors and capital from around the world, or offering new products such as the ETF (exchange-traded fund) listed on the Saudi stock exchange (and investing in the Hong Kong stock market). All in all, we will persistently and consistently push forward initiatives on various fronts. With an expanding market and more participants from different parts of the world, the liquidity and resilience of our market will be enhanced. The resilience of our market has been very strong. We do not think the current volatility in the market warrants the taking of any drastic measures.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases