But only when province follows Health Canada’s lead and approves pesticide-by-drone application, operator says
Nelson Zandbergen
Farmer Forum
OTTAWA — After years of delay, Health Canada has finally approved agricultural drones to spray pesticides already registered for use with crop-dusting planes and helicopters.
But the matter isn’t settled yet in Ontario as the provincial government must decide if insecticides, fungicides and herbicides can be applied by drones. Ontario farmers and industry leaders are eagerly waiting for an answer.
Mike Verhoog, co-owner and sales representative for Drone Spray Canada
“Ontario hasn’t said anything,” said Mike Verhoog, co-owner and sales representative for Drone Spray Canada, the province’s biggest vendor of popular drone maker DJI’s agricultural models. “They haven’t said yes, they haven’t said no, they haven’t said anything. We’ve asked and we haven’t heard back. I’ve been in the drone industry for six years now, and this is a big deal. This is what we’ve been working towards. We’re all sitting on the edge of our seats.”
On June 10, Health Canada approved the use of drones to apply products currently approved for conventional aerial spraying in a “letter of no objection” to the Canadian Agricultural Drone Association. The letter also mandates that operators follow provincial regulations, which in Ontario, are at odds with the new federal direction.
According to Verhoog, who also operates a London-area dairy farm, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have approved drone application of pesticides. American farmers can also apply pesticides using drones.
The continued limbo in Ontario comes at a crucial time for local cash crop growers. Corn fields increasingly require fungicide between mid-July and early August. The rise of the tar spot fungus makes it even more necessary, and helicopter sprayers can’t keep up with demand during the narrow application window, according to Verhoog.
At the same time, “the cat is out of the bag” as drone owners are already illegally using them to spray fungicides in Ontario, he said. “It’s not a secret.”
As it stands, he estimates the number of agricultural drones at 200 to 300 in the province, a figure he believes could quickly rise to 1,000 if Ontario opens up. He’s still optimistic that will happen this growing season, and Verhoog said his phone has been ringing off the hook with sales inquiries since Health Canada’s recent pivot.
He sees additional opportunities for drone pesticide application in the fruit and vegetable sectors, including orchards and vineyards.
Agricultural drones are currently limited to broadcasting seed and fertilizer in Ontario, although Verhoog said he has a client who treats a 600-acre vegetable crop with beneficial insects dropped from a drone.
Jason Deveau, an application specialist with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, wouldn’t hazard a guess on when the province might make a decision on expanded agricultural drone use. “I honestly can’t answer that question, and as you can imagine, it’s one that I’ve been getting almost hourly,” Deveau said.
A key issue is that Ontario’s own pesticide regulation “was written for ground and traditional aerial spraying,” not drones, he said. Because Health Canada’s interim policy requires operators to also follow provincial rules, spraying pesticides with a drone in Ontario “could be interpreted as an improper use” under that regulation, he said.
Allowing drones to apply pesticides puts Canadian farmers on an equal footing with their American competitors.
