Photo Credit: Area X.O

Spray drones have the potential to advance precision agriculture through targeted application, and allow farmers to treat specific sections of their field when conditions restrict ground equipment. Until recently, pesticides were not approved for spray drone application in Canada. 

On June 4, 2026, Ottawa Innovation Farm at Area X.O hosted members of Health Canada’s Pesticides Regulatory Directorate (PRD) to discuss spray drone regulations and the safe adoption of new agricultural technologies in Canada. 

PRD requested a meeting with Area X.O due to the innovation farm’s extensive work related to Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS/drone) applications for pesticide spraying, including Corteva’s spray drone trial with the AIVA Network. This event highlights Area X.O’s role as a trusted leader in testing drone technologies in agriculture. 

The meeting also included agtech innovators and farmers from Corteva, Drone Spray Canada, Farm Credit Canada, and AgriWood Farms, and was an opportunity for the agtech sector to inform spray drone regulations.

The meeting was a positive experience for everyone involved. On June 10, 2026, Health Canada issued a Letter of No Objection, broadening the use of spray drones to include pesticide applications. 

The announcement was timely. Torrential rainfall recently flooded farmland across parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. As farmers consider how to treat their fields next, spray drones could help reach sections of fields that are too muddy to access with heavy farm equipment.

The next step for spray drones is for crop input companies to have their pesticide products approved for drones by Health Canada. Products that have been approved will have “Remotely Piloted Aircraft System” on their label. 

AIVA is collaborating with Area X.O as a Validation Hub to test early-stage agtech in real-world farming environments. This includes AIVA’s project with Corteva which is examining the efficacy of spray drone fungicide application relative to ground-based application targeting white mold in canola and soybean. View the project here or learn more about AIVA’s Validation Hubs.