The Galactic Pest Authority was an organization responsible for monitoring reports of vermin, pests and nuisance creatures throughout the galaxy. They could authorize the extermination of these vermin and sometimes did so by hiring independent armed individuals. In 1 ABY, the Galactic Pest Authority received conclusive evidence of a dangerous rise in the number of vermin on the remote desert world of Tatooine. To deal with this development, the authority hired spacers to eradicate specific vermin lairs.