The number of rat reports in Amsterdam continues to rise, increasing by 6 percent in 2025. While residents can contact the GGD for advice and pest control, the city still faces a structural rat problem.
Dave de Jonge from the GGD rat control team calls the 6 percent increase a reasonable score, but emphasizes that prevention remains the key solution. Many residents are unaware of steps they can take, such as checking their crawl space hatch once a year to prevent infestations.
The GGD still uses traps and professional poison, but focuses heavily on advising residents to seal entry points and coordinate with neighbors.
Experiments in New York and Brussels
Other major cities are testing new methods to control rat populations. In April 2026, New York began using bait containing triptolide, a contraceptive aimed at temporarily stopping reproduction without killing the animals.
Amsterdam previously considered rat contraception but decided against it due to uncertainties about its effectiveness and environmental impact.
Brussels introduced digitally controlled Smart Traps in February 2026. These black boxes lure rats with food onto a trapdoor, dropping them into liquid where they drown within one to two minutes, avoiding the spread of poison through the food chain.
Prevention and Waste Management
In the Canadian province of Alberta, authorities designated rats as an agricultural pest early on, legally requiring property owners to eliminate them before widespread infestations could develop.
According to Kaylee Byers, an assistant professor of public health at the University of British Columbia, successful rat control does not have to rely on high-tech methods. She notes that managing access to food, water, and shelter by properly disposing of waste remains the most effective approach.
