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ROBOT DISTRIBUTION

Updated

USE CASE · AGRICULTURE AND VITICULTURE

Agricultural spraying drone: spreading and treating from the air, within the rules

The drone follows a flight plan drawn over the field and spreads fertiliser, seed or spray, without entering the crop. The regulatory framework is checked before each use.

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A DJI Agras T100 agricultural drone flies over a steep hillside vineyard in the early morning.

IN BRIEF

Updated

  1. An agricultural spraying drone is a multirotor fitted with a tank and nozzles or a spreader that treats or spreads a field in automatic flight, without compacting the soil or damaging the crop.

  2. The DJI Agras T100 carries a 100 kg payload, with a 100 L spray tank at 40 L/min or a 150 L spreading tank, according to its manufacturer.

  3. Robot Distribution delivers it, trains your pilots, helps you frame its use within the regulations and maintains it, to buy, rent or as RaaS.

WHY

Agricultural drone spraying and spreading

On waterlogged ground, steep slopes or tall crops, a tractor pass is hard or impossible. The drone treats or spreads from the air, with no compaction and no wheel tracks in the crop.

In the European Union, aerial spraying of plant protection products is banned by Article 9 of Directive 2009/128/EC, except for derogations granted by Member States in specific cases. Spreading fertiliser or seed is not covered by that ban, but the flight remains subject to the EU drone rules.

HOW IT RUNS

How an agricultural drone job runs.

  1. Regulatory check

    We check the product, the use and the authorisations needed: any derogation for spraying, and an operational authorisation in the 'specific' category for the flight (Regulation (EU) 2019/947).

  2. Flight plan

    We draw the field, obstacles and swath. The XAG P150 sprays over a 5 to 10 m swath and detects obstacles from 1.5 to 100 m with 4D radar, according to its manufacturer.

  3. Automatic flight

    The drone follows the plan, adjusts the flow and returns to swap batteries or refill. The XAG P150 states up to 26 ha/h in open fields, according to its manufacturer.

  4. Cleaning and records

    The pilot cleans the tank and nozzles, checks the batteries and files the flight report. Robot Distribution handles maintenance.

Two pilots prepare the XAG P150 drone at the edge of a field before an automatic flight.
The pilots prepare the drone and check the flight plan.
An XAG P60 drone spreads fertiliser granules over a small cereal plot.
The drone spreads in automatic flight, without entering the crop.

THE ROBOTS

Spraying drones and robots in our catalogue.

  • DJI Agras T100

    DJI Agras T100

    Professional drones

    Payload
    100 kg
    Key feature
    100 L spray tank
    Key feature
    40 L/min spray flow
    On order
    From €9,640 ex VATor €329/month in RaaS
  • XAG P150

    XAG P150

    Professional drones

    Payload
    70 kg
    Key feature
    IPX6K
    Key feature
    26 ha/h spraying
    On order
    From €29,090 ex VATor €989/month in RaaS
  • XAG P60

    XAG P60

    Professional drones

    Payload
    30 kg
    Key feature
    IPX6K
    Key feature
    13.5 ha/h spraying
    On order
    Price on request
  • EAVision EA-J150

    EAVision

    EAVision EA-J150

    Professional drones

    Key feature
    20 gal (76 L) spray tank
    Key feature
    10–500 µm droplets
    Key feature
    65 acres/h
    On order
    From €42,790 ex VATor €1,449/month in RaaS
  • XAG R100

    XAG R100

    Agricultural robots

    Weight
    80 kg
    Payload
    126 kg
    Maximum speed
    1.5 m/s
    On order
    Price on request
The whole solution · Agriculture and viticulture

BEFORE INSTALLING

What the site survey checks before commissioning.

  1. Use and regulations

    Fertiliser spreading, seeding or spraying: each use has its own framework. Spraying plant protection products is only possible under a national derogation.

  2. Fields and obstacles

    Area, shape, slope, power lines, trees and nearby homes are noted for each field.

  3. Drone size

    The volume to apply sets the model: a 30 L tank for the XAG P60, 70 L for the XAG P150, 100 L for the DJI Agras T100, according to their manufacturers.

  4. Pilots and logistics

    Pilot training, field battery charging, water and drone transport are planned with you.

RULES AND STANDARDS

Rules for spraying crops by drone in France

Since the law of 23 April 2025 and its implementing texts of May 2026, France allows drone application in narrow cases, under conditions on products, plots, flight and people.

  1. French drone treatment framework (Code rural, art. L. 253-8)

    Drones may apply only biocontrol products, products usable in organic farming and low-risk products, from a list of about 150 approved by order of 19 May 2026. Eligible plots: slopes of 20% or more, banana plantations, ground-grown rootstock mother vines. Programmes need a regional prefect authorisation. Limits: 18 km/h, 3 m above the crop, at least 20 m from inhabited areas, anti-drift equipment from the ministry list.

  2. Why the open category is excluded (Regulation (EU) 2019/947)

    The open category requires a take-off mass under 25 kg and forbids dropping any material or carrying dangerous goods. A spraying or spreading drone therefore always flies in the specific category, where the operator must be registered whatever the drone's mass. In France, operator and drone are registered on the AlphaTango portal and the operating authorisation is issued by DSAC.

  3. Who may apply the product: Certiphyto

    Anyone who uses plant protection products professionally needs the relevant Certiphyto certificate, valid five years, under the Code rural (art. L. 254-1 and following). A contractor treating other farms' fields works within an approved company and holds a decision-maker certificate. Check the certificates of both the remote pilot and the person deciding the treatment, alongside their drone competence.

  4. Electronic treatment records (Regulation (EU) 2023/564)

    Since 1 January 2026, each application is recorded electronically in a machine-readable format: product and authorisation number, date and start time, dose, treated area and its location, crop and growth stage. Paper notes must be transferred within 30 days. Ask whether the drone's flight reports can export these fields directly.

Official sources

  1. Protection des cultures : publication des textes autorisant l'utilisation de drones pour l'application de certains produits · Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire · accessed
  2. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft · EUR-Lex · accessed
  3. Fiche réflexe – catégorie spécifique (drones) · Ministère de la Transition écologique · accessed
  4. Certificat individuel pour les produits phytopharmaceutiques (Certiphyto) · Service Public Entreprendre (République française) · accessed
  5. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564 on the content and format of records of plant protection products kept by professional users · EUR-Lex · accessed

General information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Growers' questions about agricultural drones.

Is drone spraying allowed in Europe?

Directive 2009/128/EC bans aerial spraying of plant protection products, except for derogations granted by each Member State in specific cases. We check the applicable framework with you before any use.

Do we need an authorisation to fly an agricultural drone?

Yes. A drone of this size falls under the 'specific' category of the EU rules (Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945): the operator needs an operational authorisation from the national aviation authority.

Can we spread fertiliser or seed?

Yes. The DJI Agras T100 carries a 150 L hopper at 400 kg/min, the XAG P150 a 115 L container at 280 kg/min, and the XAG P60 states 1,100 kg/h, according to their manufacturers.

Can the drone be washed down?

The XAG P60 and P150 are rated IPX6K according to their manufacturer, allowing a hose-down after each job.

Is there a ground-based alternative?

Yes: the XAG R100, an electric four-wheel-drive robot, sprays in greenhouses and dense crops with a 120 L tank and a 7 m reach per side, according to its manufacturer.

USE CASES

Tell us about your fields and uses. We check the framework and choose the drone.

Robots, acquisition mode and delivery terms, in one written proposal.

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