Drones in The Field Bring New Tools to the EU Agriculture Precision Application Toolbox
Modern agriculture is living through a paradox: global demands for sustainability and food security are surging, while the crop protection tools available to EU farmers are under constant threat.
In this landscape, digital and precision agriculture emerges not merely as a trend but as a cornerstone of a sector that has to be productive and resilient at the same time. Among the tools leading it, drones — or unmanned aerial spray systems — stand out as instruments that let farmers add field scouting, pest pressure mapping and accurate site-specific patch treatment to their existing expertise.
Where drones earn their place
The value of drone technology in applying plant protection products lies in its capacity to intervene in specific areas of a field, particularly on difficult terrain. A steep vineyard slope in the Douro Valley, or a muddy field after heavy rain where a tractor would get stuck, are exactly the cases a ground rig handles badly.
Beyond convenience, the environmental gains are substantial. Drone application can cut water consumption by 90 to 95 per cent and sharply lower carbon emissions, since the aircraft run primarily on battery power. And by flying over the crop, they eliminate the damage caused by tractor wheel tracks, which can destroy over 5 per cent of a harvest in crops such as corn.
Filed under 'aerial spraying'
In the European Union, however, drones remain tucked away in a complex regulatory drawer. The current Sustainable Use Directive classifies drones as "aerial spraying" — a term that historically refers to aeroplanes and helicopters — which is prohibited by default and permitted only under narrow derogations.
In 2024, Portugal took the initiative, backed by 14 other member states, in asking the European Commission for clearer guidelines on drone usage and for the inclusion of this and other precision agriculture technologies in the regulatory product authorisation process. The request highlights a pressing issue: technology is advancing faster than regulation, and Europe has to keep pace to stay competitive, as other regions have already demonstrated.
What the Omnibus could change
The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus offers a timely vehicle to modernise EU rules so they better reflect real-world risk mitigation and innovation on the ground. It is an opportunity to clarify the conditions under which drone-based application meets the same safety criteria as ground application, and can therefore be routinely authorised. Handled pragmatically, it could shift EU legislation from restricting innovation to enabling safer, more targeted and more sustainable use of plant protection products.
Three conditions for it to work
For EU farmers to benefit fully from the Commission's proposal to amend the Sustainable Use Directive, three things need to hold.
First, to avoid an uneven playing field across the EU, a harmonised and uniform framework should be in place across all member states once the Directive is transposed. Second, given the pace of technological development, the Delegated Act envisioned by the Commission should follow a criteria-based approach rather than a "positive list of specific drones", so the rules stay future-proof.
Third, a clear roadmap with intermediate steps should be developed. That roadmap should include guidance for member states on granting derogations for drone applications before the Delegated Act is adopted, and guidance to stakeholders on the type of data needed to assess the risks involved.