to identify the types of data required for these assessments and to ensure that this new method of application will not pose risks of concern to human health and the environment." The agency has received and approved several research authorizations to study the efficacy of application via drone and is involved with several working groups to generate the data for regulatory approval of drones. There is no established timeframe for the completion of any of this. PMRA explains that for the application of pesticides, drones will have to be listed on registered product labels similar to planes and helicopters. However, "drones will likely produce different spray drift profiles than planes and helicopters, and therefore the level of mitigation required for drones will be different." It's good news that Transport Canada currently allows a single operator to fly up to five drones if they are flown from a single control station, and the manufacturer's instructions are followed. Special authorization must be received to fly more than five. The PMRA is not certain whether the simultaneous use of multiple drones will result in a changed risk profile and, consequently, affect its risk assessments. Huang notes that the potential drift issues from drone spraying may be a concern but explains that "considering ground sprayers or aerial sprayers are costly and consume a large amount of chemicals during the applications, and that our fully autonomous ag-drones are able to fly lower and apply more precisely than manned aerial sprayers to reduce the drift and chemical inputs, the limitation to drone sprayers sounds unwise." In his view, farmers "definitely need" regulatory advancement from PMRA. "That would be the key to achieving both the "Go Green" and "Grow Economy" targets in Canada, to increase economic benefits and minimize the environmental impacts through precision unmanned technologies and solutions in the coming years," he says. "If we believe that our future farming should achieve 'grow more with less input,' then drone application should play the key role." l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 25 JUNE/JULY 2022 Site-specific application by drone or other un-manned precision farming technologies that operate in real-time represent a much more cost-effective – and sustainable – way to farm.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4