Modern agriculture is currently living through a fascinating paradox: while global demands for sustainability and food security are surging, crop protection tools to support EU farmers’ needs are under constant threat.
In this landscape, Digital and Precision Agriculture (DPA) emerges not merely as a trend, but as the true cornerstone of a sector that must be simultaneously productive and resilient. Among the tools leading this revolution, drones or Unmanned Aerial Spray Systems (UASS), stand out as sophisticated instruments that allow farmers to complement their established expertise with field scouting and pest pressure mapping, as well as accurate site-specific (patch) treatment.
Precision in action
The beauty of drone technology in applying plant protection products lies in its capacity to intervene in specific areas of a field, and particularly in challenging terrain. Imagine being able to treat a steep vineyard slope in the Douro Valley or a muddy field after heavy rain where a tractor would surely get stuck. Beyond mere convenience, we are looking at massive environmental gains: the use of drones can reduce water consumption by 90% to 95% [1, 2 ] and drastically lower carbon emissions, as they primarily operate on battery power. Furthermore, by flying over the crop, they eliminate the damage caused by tractor wheel tracks, which can destroy over 5% of a harvest in crops like corn.
Regulation not keeping pace with the potential of drone use to support precision application
However, in the European Union, drones are still tucked away in a complex regulatory drawer. The current Sustainable Use Directive (SUD) classifies drones as “aerial spraying,” which historically refers to aeroplanes and helicopters, and is prohibited by default and only allowed under very specific derogations. In 2024, Portugal took the initiative, backed by 14 other Member States, to ask the European Commission for clearer guidelines on the usage of drones and the inclusion of this and other digital and precision ag technologies in the regulatory product authorisation process. The request highlights a pressing issue: technology is advancing more quickly than regulation, and Europe must keep pace to stay competitive, as other regions have already demonstrated.
A window of opportunity
There is now a concrete opportunity to close this gap.
The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus offer a timely vehicle to modernise EU rules so they better reflect real‑world risk mitigation and innovation on the ground. This is the moment to enable drone applications by clarifying the conditions under which drone-based application fulfills the same safety criteria as land applications and therefore can be regularly authorized. Handled pragmatically, the Omnibus could help shift EU legislation from restricting innovation to enabling safer, more targeted and more sustainable use of plant protection products. However, for EU farmers to fully benefit from the current EC proposal to amend the current SUD to enable drone applications, a practical and future-proof approach must be ensured.
Firstly, to avoid an uneven playing field across the EU, a harmonized and uniform framework should be put in place across all Member States once the Directive is transposed. Secondly, given the fast pace of technological development of the technology, the Delegated Act envisioned by the EC should follow a criteria-based, rather than a ‘positive list of specific drones’ approach, so enabling a future proof set of rules. Finally, a clear roadmap with intermediate steps to introduce the EU framework to enable drone applications should also be developed. This roadmap should also contain clear guidance for Member States to grant derogations for drone applications before the adoption of the Delegated Act and provide guidance to stakeholders on the type of data needed to be generated to assess risks related to drone applications.
The inclusion of drone technology in the toolbox of application techniques will provide farmers with an additional solution adapted to difficult cropping conditions as well as an affordable tool that may implement precision uses. To achieve this, we need regulations enabling innovation, and recognising drones for their exciting potential to support precision application needs.
Sustainable food production should be driven by science, innovation, and the pragmatism of giving farmers the best tools of the 21st century.
Drones are part of this future. It is time to let them fly.
Sources:
[1] – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2025.101519
[2] – https://doi.org/10.3390/drones10010001