b'Above The Fields: Understanding Drone Regulations in Crop ProtectionDRONES HAVE EMERGED AS A NEW AND EFFICIENT TOOL FOR APPLYING PESTICIDES. THEIR PRECISION AND ADAPTABILITY ARE CHANGING HOW PEST MANAGEMENT IS APPROACHED.By Pratisara Bajracharya, Pesticides Regulatory & Minor Use SpecialistE ffective pest management is a vital component ofIn Canada, all pesticides sold or used must be crop production. On the Prairies, ground sprayingregistered with Health Canadas Pest Management equipment and fixed-wing piloted aircraft haveRegulatory Agency (PMRA) under the federal Pest traditionally been used to apply pesticides in fields. TheControl Products Act (PCPA). The PMRA conducts a fixed-wing piloted aircrafts have also been used forrigorous, science-based evaluation of each pesticide, pesticide application in non-crop areas such as mosquitoincluding application methods, to ensure it poses no larvicide, industrial sites and forestry applications. Inunacceptable risk to human health or the environment.recent years, drone application of pesticides has becomeOnce a pesticide is registered in Canada, it is issued increasingly popular.a label that serves as a legal document. This label Drones are remotely piloted aircrafts which were firstoutlines important information, including the approved introduced in agriculture as an agronomic tool. Severalapplication methods, rates of use, wind speed and names have been used worldwide to refer to drones.temperature requirements, and other safety guidelines. Some of the common names used to address dronesUnder the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), deviation are Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aerialfrom the instructions specified on the label is considered System (UAS), Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), Smalla violation. Therefore, only the application methods Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS), Remotely Operatedexplicitly listed on the pesticide label are legally Aircraft (ROA), Remotely Piloted Aerial Applicationpermitted.System (RPAAS), etc.As of Oct. 13, 2025, there are a total of five pesticide In Canada, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)products for which drone application have been is the term used to refer to drones. Over time, dronesapproved. All of those pesticides are approved for drone have advanced in scale, capability, and function, makingapplication in non-crop areas such as mosquito larvicide, them a versatile tool across various sectors. right-of-way and industrial site applications. To date, Many Asian countries such as China, Japan and Southin-crop drone application of pesticides has not been Korea have successfully utilized drones for pesticideapproved for any pesticide product. application for several years. Drone use in pesticideAll pesticides approved for application by drones must application in the United States is still relatively new. Inhave RPAs mentioned on the pesticide label before they Canada, drones were recently introduced as a potentialcan be deployed in pesticide application. If a pesticide new method of pesticide application and have beenproduct does not have the RPA method of application gaining popularity.mentioned on the label, then a drone cannot be used to The growing interest in use of drones for pesticideapply that pesticide product.application has sparked important discussions aroundThe recent addition of drone application to a limited the regulatory requirements governing their operation innumber of pesticide labels has sparked debate among agriculture and other areas.pesticide users, particularly around whether drones In recent years, drone application of pesticides has become increasingly popular.6 Seed Manitoba 2026'