A dozen Republican U.S. lawmakers urged the administration of President Joe Biden on Friday to address the use of Chinese-manufactured agriculture drones, saying their use on American farms poses national security risks. Elise Stefanik, Ashley Hinson and John Moolenaar, who chairs a select committee on China, asked the Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to detail the administration's efforts to address risks posed by aerosol-dispensing drones. The lawmakers asked for a briefing by Sept. 30, citing the large number of drones produced by Chinese drone manufacturer DJI as a security concern.

Tech-savvy farmers have been some of the earliest commercial adopters of drone technology, purchasing 45,000 drones last year alone. But if they were using the drones to check on the condition of their fields, spraying their crops, or keeping tabs on livestock, most of them were technically breaking the law. New U.S. federal rules that went into effect this summer, however, should make it easier for farmers to get a drone's-eye view of their fields. The new rules allow commercial drone operators to get certified via a written test, so long as they fly drones that meet certain weight and altitude guidelines. Before this, operators had to pay for a pilot's license and get a special exemption to use a drone, a slow and cumbersome process.