The technical exchange promoted by the MEDEA project
On 10 March 2026, CREA announced a technical visit scheduled for 26 and 27 March to the Agroscope research centre in Switzerland. The initiative was part of the MEDEA project, financed by Italy's Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
The stated purpose was to examine the testing and certification systems for drones used to distribute agricultural products. In Switzerland, equipment used to apply plant protection products is subject to periodic official inspections to verify efficiency and operational safety.
Towards more structured inspection procedures
The programme also included discussions with SPISE's Technical Working Group, the European network dedicated to developing standardised procedures for inspecting plant protection product application equipment. CREA described the initiative as an exchange on emerging technologies and the possible integration of drones into future technical inspection procedures.
This activity should not be interpreted as the announcement of a new certification that is already mandatory in Italy. The source describes research, technical exchange and future prospects. The practical message is nevertheless clear: distribution quality, maintenance and equipment verifiability are becoming increasingly important.
Traceability begins before take-off
A professional application requires more than counting hectares. Consistent information is needed to reconstruct the work performed:
- product used, quantity and responsibility for its supply;
- drone used and flight time;
- cleaning protocol and quantity of detergent or disinfectant;
- maintenance, anomalies and intervention documents;
- weather conditions and site characteristics.
Recording these elements helps the service provider manage costs and maintenance while giving the customer a more transparent summary of the work.
Technology becomes dependable when performance, maintenance and documentation can be verified together.