Starting April 1, the National Environment Agency ( NEA ) will enact stricter enforcement measures against business owners and managers for rat-related lapses to lessen the risk of infestations.
This follows a rise in rat-related errors in 2024, with more than 1, 000 police actions taken against companies like as , buying stores and food organizations.
The number is nearly twice as high as the 670 police steps taken in 2023.
” Nearly half of the enforcements last year were for poor refuse management”, NEA said , on Friday ( Feb 14 ).  ,
The increased enforcement will address errors in three main areas: poor housekeeping and refuse management practices that lead to favorable conditions for the spread of animals, problems with refuse handling services that could be rats ‘ access points, and the presence of rat nests.  ,
This serves as a reminder that premises managers should take proactive steps to implement effective rat prevention and control measures, which improve general standards of cleanliness and lower the risk of rat infestations, according to NEA in a media release.
The organization added that relying solely on police would not be sufficient to stop rat infestations over the long term. It will continue to take a “multi-pronged technique” to address the problem through active surveillance and stakeholder engagement.  ,