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      Oppose the Countering CCP Drones Act Campaign

      A response to HR2864 Countering CCP Drones Act.

      Facing a potential ban on Chinese-manufactured agricultural spray drones head-on (H.R. 2864: Countering CCP Drones Act), this group of industry leaders, key stakeholders, and educational advocates who collectively represent nearly 80% of agricultural spray drone sales in the U.S. market have come together to collect and share key data points and testimonials in order raise awareness and increase visibility of the economical benefits that agricultural spray drones (specifically, Chinese manufactured agricultural spray drones) provide rural communities throughout the United States.
      We encourage you to read and share the key points below and ask that you speak with your house representative, telling them to vote "no" on this ban that will damage rural communities and U.S. agriculture.
      Click here to contact your local representative.
      Click “Oppose the Countering CCP Drones Act Campaign”, fill out your info and click “Send Message”

      Did You Know?

      • 3.7M acres were sprayed by drones in 2023
      • 41 states
      • >50 crops
      • $78.5M generated in rural communities by spray drone service providers

      Key Points

      • We support US industry.
        • This includes service providers and farmers as well as equipment manufacturers
        • US manufacturers need government support and a US allied supply chain
      • A competitive US drone industry is the goal.
        • Banning competitors from China won’t improve the US drone industry. The ability to purchase from diverse manufacturers helps ensure the market entry-point remains accessible for all drone end-users.
          • 8 gallons (30L) of tank capacity is an important threshold for productivity in spray drones. If Chinese drones are banned there is only 1 FAA approved non-Chinese drone manufacturer with commercially available drones with options >8 gallons.
        • US farmers face global competition, especially from Brazil and China. To remain competitive, they need access to industry leading ag tech that ensures efficient, profitable, resource-preserving crop production capabilities. Banning market leading technology disadvantages US farmers.
        • The best drones today are from China. They excel over competition based on:
          • Performance
          • Price
          • Reliability
        • US government support is needed to make US and allied drone manufacturers more competitive on performance, price, and reliability with solutions from China.
      • We care about data protection and security.
        • We support cybersecurity standards and best practices for all drones, regardless of country of origin. Our connected devices at home follow standard security practices to be protected from cyber attack, and our drones must follow suit. The drone industry can leverage established cybersecurity standards and certifications for networked devices from organizations like CTIA. There are a host of other standards in place for aviation cybersecurity, covered by Mitre Engenuity’s “Overview of Security of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS).”
        • Several security audits have been conducted on DJI drones that have not found evidence of DJI collecting data covertly. You can find references to a handful of these audits here.
        • Beyond the audits, DJI has local data mode in its DJI GO4 and DJI Pilot apps. This can be replicated in DJI Agras by turning off auto syncing of flight logs and ensuring the RC is not connected to the internet. If you choose to use this feature you will need to manually manage flight logs used for creating as applied maps and reporting flight activity for 44807 monthly reports.
        • XAG drones can similarly limit data transfer by turning off internet connectivity in the drone and RC.
      • We are creating jobs in rural communities.
        • Helping folks stay on and return to the family farm with new revenue sources.
          • 48% of spray drone purchasers in 2022 and 2023 had the opportunity to return to the family farm because of spray drones.
        • Reasonably priced drones that make it easy to start a small business.
          • With thin profit margins in farming due to low commodity prices, good quality low cost options like those from Chinese manufacturers help reduce production costs and increase farm profitability.
        • ROI is possible in one season vs US manufactured or assembled options (2.5X more expensive on average)
        • Keeping the younger generation in the community, giving vets a way back home, and empowering women in entrepreneurship.
        • Spray drone operators can take small local jobs that are not as economically served by ground-based or crewed aerial applicators.

      Separating Fact from Fear

      Q. Drones share confidential data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or People’s Republic of China (PRC).
      A. A lot of data about US farms is publicly available from USDA, Google Earth, etc. Spray drone data is limited to field boundaries and flight frequency. Field boundaries are easily gathered from satellite imagery. In essence, ag drones aren’t collecting unique data and aren’t flying over critical infrastructure. In abundance of caution, users have the option not to share data by turning off internet connectivity on the RC and drone. Data about what was sprayed is not collected in DJI or XAG applications.
       
      Q. Drones are a security risk.
      A. Several security audits have been conducted on DJI drones that have not found evidence of DJI collecting data covertly. We’ve provided links to several of those studies below. DJI highlights a few of the security studies that were independently conducted in the linked article.
       
      Here are options to keep your data protected.
      • Beyond the audits, DJI has local data mode in its DJI GO4 and DJI Pilot apps. This can be replicated in DJI Agras by turning off auto syncing of flight logs and ensuring the RC is not connected to the internet. If you choose to use this feature you will need to manually manage flight logs used for creating as applied maps and reporting flight activity for 44807 monthly reports.
      • XAG drones can similarly limit data transfer by turning off internet connectivity in the drone and RC.
       
      Q. We need to protect US industry.
      A. Yes! Lots of folks have jobs today as spray drone operators. This is great.
      A. Yes! But banning competition just disadvantages US farmers against global competitors—we need to find ways to help US companies become more competitive. US drones today are on average 2.5X more expensive, when comparing price for the gallon of capacity. Eliminating a major portion of the supply will lead to shortages and price hikes in response to scarcity. Even worse, the core issue behind US competitiveness isn’t solved, meaning US drones can’t compete on a global scale.
       
      Q. We need to protect US jobs.
      A. Yes! These are good jobs and small businesses in rural communities delivering value to their neighbors and helping US farmers get great crop protection services.
      • Generating dollars in rural America. $78.5M generated in rural communities by spray drone service providers.
      • Enabling the next generation of farmers. 48% of spray drone purchasers had the opportunity to return to the family farm because of spray drones.
        • "I always wanted to come back and farm. And the drones kind of gave me that opportunity. It allowed me to come back to the family farm, helping with planting and harvest, but during the summer period I have my own business, my own line of income so that hopefully one day I can earn enough to start buying my own farm." – Jeremiah Gebhart, Agri Spray customer in Missouri
        • High school student Logan Petree started his own drone spray business as a FFA project. “This year we managed to cover 2500 acres, and last year it was about the same.” – Logan Petree, founder of Petree Aerial Application
      • Building small businesses in rural America. Nearly 100% of spray drone purchasers are small business/sole proprietors. 63% are small businesses who employ on average 2.4 people per business.
      • Giving veterans a career path after military service. 19% of spray drone purchasers are veterans or employ veterans.
       
      Q. China will steal my data.
      A. If you are concerned about that, there are options for protecting your data. Also, all that data is already available through satellite imagery, USDA published data sets, and university extension office resources, and other sources. See above question on drones as a security risk.
       
      Q. Can’t Chinese drones be reprogrammed remotely from China and used against Americans?
      A. No. The autonomous capabilities of drones are often oversold. Qualified applicators are not only required by the FAA and state pesticide agencies, they are also physically necessary to mix crop protection products, fill drone tanks between flights, swap out batteries, keep generators running, etc. The software systems on board the drones have no knowledge of the chemical being loaded into the drone. US regulations require operators to maintain product usage reports, which can be done in software solutions supplied by US companies. At typical spray rates, spray drones only fly for 8-10 minutes before the tank is empty, and 12 minutes to battery depletion, which greatly limits the ability of the drones to do damage if nefarious actors took over.