Drone photography over canola fields raises collision and biosecurity concerns

Australia’s aerial application industry says near misses between drones and low-flying agricultural aircraft are increasing during the canola flowering season. The industry is urging drone operators to check for aircraft, use a lookout and avoid flying over crops, while agronomists warn about biosecurity risks from entering paddocks.

The flowering canola season has prompted warnings about drone operators flying over fields where agricultural aircraft may be spraying crops. The Aerial Application Association of Australia says pilots have reported several near misses, raising concerns that a collision could seriously endanger aircraft crews and compromise crop biosecurity.

Association chief executive Matthew Harper told ABC News Australia that aircraft activity over canola crops was at its highest during the season. He said planes operating below 500 feet could be applying chemicals or fungicides, conducting military training, fighting fires or supporting the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The low altitude and the small size of many drones can make them difficult for pilots to see.

Harper said one recent near miss in Western Australia involved an aircraft passing within what he believed was less than 30 metres of a drone. He said the pilot noticed the drone only after seeing the operator’s car beside a highway. Harper warned that a drone struck by an aircraft wing might breach the aircraft and damage control cables or other components, potentially leaving the pilot without control.

He also said photographic drones had been involved in anecdotal reports from South Australia and southern New South Wales. Harper urged operators to pause and check their surroundings before launching, use a second person as a lookout and keep drones over roads rather than crops where possible.

The association’s concerns extend beyond aviation safety. Harper said flowering canola was particularly vulnerable to biosecurity problems, and farmers regularly ask the public not to enter paddocks without permission. Agronomist Marty Colbert, who uses drones to inspect crop health and damage, told ABC that he cleans equipment with disinfectant and soap and checks with farmers about planned aerial applications.

Colbert said online applications showing aircraft locations were not always reliable because aerial operators can fly below the altitude at which signals are detected. He advised drone users to remain alert even when no aircraft appeared on such services.