On the 27th of January, MEPs passed the first reading of a bill to authorize the spraying of plant protection products by drone to treat diseases affecting certain crops ('Bill to improve the treatment of diseases affecting plant crops using remotely piloted aircraft').
✅ Proposal for a law to improve the treatment of diseases affecting plant crops using unmanned aircraft adopted at first reading.
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- Assemblée nationale (@AssembleeNat) January 27, 2025
The text, therefore, authorizes the use of drones to spray certain plant protection products "on agricultural plots with a slope of 20% or more, banana plantations and rootstock vines grown on the ground."
This measure was welcomed by the French minister for agriculture last December, as it "helps to combat distortions of competition within the European Union," as drone spraying is authorized in other Member States.
"The precision of drone spraying significantly reduces the quantity of products released into the environment"
"In these various reports, it is proven that, for both vineyards and banana plantations, spraying by drone offers significant benefits in terms of reducing and controlling the quantities of products used. These studies also prove that the precision of drone spraying makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of products released into the environment, demonstrating that drone spraying is a tool that can help preserve the climate because it is more respectful of the environment," according to the text.
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