Agricultural drones

Agricultural drones are transforming farm operations across Australia - making it safer, faster, and more efficient to monitor land, livestock and crops.

Two farmers standing waist-deep in a green crop field under a blue sky, launching a drone into the air to monitor their farmland.

Today’s agricultural drones are capable of:

  • aerial monitoring: quickly inspect fences, dams, crops or livestock without entering hazardous or remote areas
  • spraying and spreading: reduce manual handling and chemical exposure by applying products from the air
  • thermal imaging and multispectral scanning: identify heat stress, pests, irrigation issues, or stock in real time
  • high-resolution mapping: create maps for planning infrastructure, fencing, or sowing with fewer hours on foot or machinery.

Agricultural drones improve safety by:

  • reducing time spent on high-risk farm vehicles, such as quad bikes and SSVs in rough or dangerous terrain
  • minimising the need for manual chemical handling
  • detecting hazards early including injured livestock or leaks
  • lowering machinery-related risks on-farm.

The Small Business Rebate Program: Support for farmers who own high-risk farm vehicles

Eligible small farming businesses in NSW who own a farm vehicle (quad bike, SSV and/or tractor) may be eligible for the $1,000 SafeWork small business rebate for the purchase of an eligible agricultural drone.

Please note: there is no separate agricultural drone rebate - eligible agricultural drones are supported under the NSW $1,000 SafeWork Small Business Rebate Program only.

You will need to check your eligibility under the terms and conditions of the small business rebate program. Please note that you can only apply for one small business rebate in a five-year period – if you have already received a small business rebate, you can apply five years after the date of submission of an approved rebate application.

How to apply

  1. Check your eligibility. Review the NSW Small Business Rebate terms and conditions including clause 4.8 Agricultural drones. You must own a farm vehicle (quad bike, SSV or tractor) to apply.
  2. Explore which drones are approved under the rebate.
  3. Organise an interaction with SafeWork NSW. This can be through a free advisory visit or attendance at an eligible SafeWork NSW event.
  4. Purchase an approved drone that meets the capability requirements.
  5. Check Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations for operating a drone. You must apply for an Aviation Reference Number (ARN) with CASA prior to submitting your application.
  6. Submit your small business rebate application, invoice and proof of payment on the NSW Small Business Rebate website.

Eligible agricultural drones

Drones eligible for rebate support need to meet one of the three capability requirements listed below:

  1. Spray - the drone can apply liquid substances such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilisers.
  2. Spread - the drone can distribute solid materials like seeds, granulated fertilisers, or soil amendments.
  3. Visual -  the drone is equipped with cameras or sensors (such as RGB, multispectral, thermal) to undertake property inspections, capture images or data.

Requirements for operating a drone

Before flying a drone on your farm, you must follow the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations.

CASA requires anyone flying a drone for business or commercial use (including farm work) to meet certain accreditation and registration requirements.

All business or commercial drone operators must:

  • register the drone via the CASA website
    You must register any drone used for business purposes or as part of your job, no matter how much it weighs.
  • hold a valid licence appropriate to the drone’s weight
  • hold a valid accreditation appropriate to the drone's weight.

For drones under 25kg

When operating the drone on your private land you own

You must complete the free online RPA Operator Accreditation on the CASA website. This replaces the need for a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) for basic operations under 25kg on private land and when operating under the ‘Excluded Category’.

When operating the drone on private land owned by someone else

You must hold a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL).

For drones over 25kg

When operating the drone on any private land you must

  • hold a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL)
  • operate under a business or organisation with a Remote Operator’s Certificate (ReOC).
 

If you're using drones to spray chemicals or fertilisers, or flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), additional approvals and licensing may be required. Learn more at the CASA website.

Further information

Back to top