Easier Food Safety Rules and Drone Spraying for Farmers

What the document is about
The European Union is proposing a new Directive that will change two existing rules on food and feed safety and will delete two older rules on plastic food‑contact materials. The aim is to cut unnecessary paperwork, make it easier to use new technology such as drones for pesticide spraying, and keep high safety standards for people, animals and the environment.

The problem being addressed

1. Pesticide spraying with drones – The current rule (Directive 2009/128/EC) forbids aerial spraying of pesticides. To use a drone, a farmer must apply for a special exemption, which is time‑consuming and costly. This slows the adoption of drones, which can spray more precisely and reduce pesticide use.
2. Duplicate record keeping for farmers – Directive 98/58/EC requires farmers to keep separate records of animal medicines and deaths. Other EU rules already ask for the same information, creating double work for farmers.
3. Outdated rules on plastic food containers – Directives 82/711/EEC and 85/572/EEC set testing rules for plastic that are already covered by Regulation (EU) No 10/2011. Keeping the old directives causes legal uncertainty.

How the problem is being solved

• Drones – Directive 2009/128/EC will be amended to:
• Add a definition of “unmanned aircraft system” (drone).
• Allow Member States to exempt certain drones from the ban on aerial spraying, but only if the pesticide is authorised for aerial use.
• Give the Commission the power to adopt a delegated act (within 4 years after the Directive enters into force) that lists the drones that can be exempted.
• Farmers’ record keeping – Directive 98/58/EC will delete points 5 and 6 of its Annex, removing the duplicate record‑keeping requirement.
• Plastic food containers – Directives 82/711/EEC and 85/572/EEC will be repealed; their content will be covered by Regulation (EU) No 10/2011.

What changes as a result of this document

Other important information

• The Directive is part of the “Simplification Omnibus Package” (COM(2025) 1021).
• Legal basis: Articles 43(2), 114 and 192(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
• Subsidiarity and proportionality are respected: the EU acts only where Member States cannot achieve the objectives alone.
• No additional budget cost for the Commission.
• No explanatory documents are needed because the changes do not create new national obligations.
• Stakeholder feedback: 75 % of companies found the current animal‑welfare record rules too burdensome.
• The changes support the EU Green Deal, the Drone Strategy 2.0, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food, aiming to reduce pesticide use, protect the environment, and boost EU competitiveness.