Drone demonstrations will again be part of Ag in Motion which starts Tuesday.
Drones have many farm uses from checking crops to checking cows to monitoring watering systems, However, many drones are set up for the express purpose of spraying crops and that’s technically illegal.
One year ago at Ag in Motion, drone companies were happy to report that a product had been officially registered for drone application in Canada. It wasn’t an agricultural product, but many hoped ag product registrations would soon follow. That hasn’t happened. Only a handful of products are registered for application via drone in Canada and not one is an agricultural product.
Not too many farmers would replace their high clearance sprayer with drones at this point, but drones are certainly useful for spot applications of product and for spraying hard-to-access areas. Some believe they could eventually take a chunk of the high clearance sprayer market.
Unfortunately, registration of crop protection products does not seem imminent. Many unanswered questions remain regarding swath width, evenness of disposition and efficacy.
The U.S. has largely taken a different route with anything registered for aerial application also allowed for drone application.
No one knows the full extent of unregistered drone applications in Canada, but most agree it’s growing. While it’s technically illegal, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency is apparently turning a blind eye. To date, no PMRA actions have been reported.
I had a person from a drone company approach me and claim he was going to publicly flaunt the law in an attempt to trigger action from the PMRA. He wants to see the issue go to court because he believes the PMRA will have trouble arguing that drone application is fundamentally different from aerial application.
Will the PMRA eventually clamp down and try to make an example of someone? Will legality eventually be decided in a courtroom?
Stay tuned. This issue may only be simmering now, but it’s likely to grow hotter as more farmers decide to employ drones for spray operations.