Agricultural drone spraying rules in Italy
What you need to spray crops with a drone in Italy: legal status, authorities, permits, requirements and operating limits, with links to the official sources.
Legal status
Not allowed. Not yet possible in practice. Aerial spraying is banned (Legislative Decree 150/2012, art. 13). Law 182/2025 added art. 13-bis, which allows drone spraying on farmland as a 3-year trial from 18 December 2025, but only under an interministerial implementing decree that had not been published as of September 2026.
Who regulates it
- Aviation: Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC)
- Agriculture: Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF)
- Other: Ministry of Health (plant protection product authorisations) (Ministero della Salute)
Legal basis
- D.lgs. 14 agosto 2012, n. 150, art. 13: Bans aerial spraying. Regions may grant case-by-case derogations with a favourable opinion from the Ministry of Health, only for products registered for aerial use.
- D.lgs. 150/2012, art. 13-bis (added by Legge 2 dicembre 2025, n. 182, art. 6): Allows drone spraying on land zoned as agricultural as a 3-year trial, under the conditions of an implementing decree, after a SCIA notice to the regional plant health service.
- Legge 2 dicembre 2025, n. 182: Simplification law (in force 18 December 2025) that introduced art. 13-bis.
- ENAC AltMoC IT-UAS-2026-002 (August 2026): Predefined risk assessment (PDRA) and model operations manual for agricultural, horticultural and forestry drone operations in the specific category.
- Directive 2009/128/EC, art. 9: EU ban on aerial spraying, with national derogations under strict conditions.
What you need
- Wait for the implementing decree (Agriculture, Environment, Health and Transport ministers). It will set the eligible land, crops, pests, products and operating rules. (normattiva.it)
- Under art. 13-bis, spraying must be done by a professional user of plant protection products with the specific training set by the decree. (normattiva.it)
- Before spraying, file a SCIA with the regional plant health service, with a sworn agronomic report. It may cover the whole trial period and may be filed through an association. (normattiva.it)
- An ENAC operational authorisation in the specific category, for example through the agricultural PDRA of AltMoC IT-UAS-2026-002. (enac.gov.it)
- Spraying over natural parks and protected areas needs authorisation from the managing body. (normattiva.it)
How to get authorised
- Check whether the implementing decree under art. 13-bis(3) has been published. Until then, do not spray plant protection products by drone. (normattiva.it)
- Prepare the aviation side: register as an operator and obtain an ENAC specific-category authorisation (agricultural PDRA). (enac.gov.it)
- Once the decree applies, file the SCIA with the agronomic report with the regional plant health service before spraying. (normattiva.it)
Operating limits for spraying
- ENAC agricultural PDRA (AltMoC IT-UAS-2026-002): visual line of sight, maximum characteristic dimension under 5 m, no higher than 20 m above ground or above the top of an obstacle, over a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated environment.
- The drone must have a pilot-selectable low-speed mode that limits ground speed to 5 m/s (ENAC PDRA).
Good to know
- Under art. 13, Regions can in theory authorise aerial spraying case by case (Ministry of Health opinion, products registered for aerial use). This is not a routine route for drones.
- The implementing decree was due within 90 days of 18 December 2025 but was still missing as of September 2026. This page will change when it is published.
Checked against official sources on 2026-09-18. Rules change: confirm with the authorities before operating. This page is a planning summary, not legal advice. The product label and the official rules always prevail.