Agricultural drones for spraying weeds and crops is seen as critical to improving safety on our farms with both croppers and pastoralists being encouraged to take up financial assistance under the Safe Work NSW Small Business Rebate program.

The rebate offers up to $1000 to help farmers purchase eligible safety items including agricultural drones to improve work health and safety for their farms. 

Walgett famer Cameron Rowntree says drones can be an important tool to assist farmers with checking water points, inspecting and spraying crops, mustering livestock and monitoring fences.

Mr Rowntree says he is looking carefully at deploying drones.

‘’My neighbouring farmer is using them effectively so this a good thing that will help farmers,’’ he said.

“It does save time and makes it safer and easier to run your operation.’’

The initiative aims to address the unacceptable number of fatalities and serious injuries caused by high-risk farm vehicles by encouraging the use of select drones as a safer alternative to a quad bike, side-by-side vehicle (SSV) or tractor to undertake farming activities.

Since 2011, quad bikes have been linked to 63 deaths in NSW, with 29 of those cases involving children under the age of 16. Similarly, side-by-side vehicles have contributed to a further 21 deaths, 8 of which were children.

Earlier this year, the NSW Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis, NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty and Member for Orange Phil Donato convened a roundtable with representatives from local agricultural employers, NSW Farmers, unions, experts, relevant government agencies, and the Country Women’s Association.

Minister for Work Health & Safety, Sophie Cotsis.

Minister Sophie Cotsis says working with NSW Farmers on suggested changes was yielding results.

“This is a chance for farmers and agricultural workers to discover how practical, easy-to-use tech solutions like agricultural drones and mobile connectivity can help make farming safer and more productive," the Minister said.

"The discussion focused on preventing fatalities and serious injuries in the agriculture sector by highlighting the need for transparency around farmers’ daily risks, the barriers to changing safety behaviour, and effective prevention strategies for mitigating real-world challenges,"

Mr Rowntree says agricultural drones are a major add-on for an efficient operation.

“They can spray quickly in up to 100 hectares fast and I should be looking at getting one.

"I agree safety is our main priority on our farms.’’

More items eligible

Since March 2023, SafeWork NSW has provided $813,000 in total funding towards rebating the costs of workplace health and safety items for the Agricultural sector.

Rebated items include approved operator protective devices for quad bike safety, compliant helmets for quad bike and side-by-side vehicle operators, animal management devices including calf pullers and sliding segregation gates, overhead shearing equipment, livestock chutes, lifting devices, aerial line markers, two-way (2-way) radios for isolated work, telegraph pole Hi-Viz wraps and more.