#AGRG2612857AFrance sets conditions for authorizing drone application of certain plant protection products
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This order sets the rules for authorizing programs that apply certain plant protection products by unmanned aircraft, mainly drones, on specific agricultural plots. It applies to steep farmland, banana plantations, ground-trained rootstock mother vines, and other crops or plots where trials show clear health and environmental benefits compared with ground application. Authorization is limited to cases where drone spraying offers a clear advantage for human health and the environment. The products must be biocontrol products, organic-approved products, or low-risk products, and must also be approved for drone aerial spraying. Operators and remote pilots must hold the required professional plant protection certificate, and treatments cannot be planned near residential areas or places open to the public.
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Key Changes
- Creates a permit framework for applying certain plant protection products by unmanned aircraft on eligible agricultural plots.
- Limits eligible plots to steep land, banana plantations, ground-trained rootstock mother vines, and other listed crops or plots with proven health and environmental benefits.
- Restricts products to biocontrol, organic-approved, or low-risk products that are also approved for drone aerial spraying.
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Obligations
What this law requires
Program authorization for drone application of plant protection products may be granted only where aerial spraying provides clear advantages for human health and the environment compared with ground application.
Each cultivation unit included in a proposed drone spraying program must meet at least one eligible plot condition: a slope of at least 20%, a zone bounded by slopes of at least 20%, banana plantation status, ground-trained rootstock mother vine status, or inclusion on the statutory list of eligible plot or crop types.
Plant protection products proposed for drone application must be biocontrol products on the relevant statutory list, products authorized for organic agriculture, or low-risk products under Article 47 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.
Plant protection products proposed for application by unmanned aircraft must be approved for aerial spraying by such aircraft under Article R. 253-46 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.
Drone spraying programs must not plan plant-protection treatments near residential areas or places open to the public, without prejudice to any safety distance prescribed in the program authorization.