P.PSH.1491 - SkyKelpie drone regulatory and adoption support - Stage 2

Summary

This research aimed to modernise Australia’s livestock mustering practices by supporting industry-wide adoption of drone mustering across the grazier sector, the nation’s largest agricultural industry. The main question addressed was how drone technology could be safely, compliantly and commercially integrated into livestock operations to reduce rising operational costs, labour shortages, insurance pressures and persistent safety risks.

Objectives

The project aimed to:

• develop case studies and industry-standard EVLOS and BEVLOS scenarios to support clearer compliance pathways under CASA’S Landholder Rule
• deliver practical training and capability-building initiatives, including the SkyKelpie Aerial Stockmanship Course, workshops and demonstrations
• evaluate emerging long-range and long-endurance drone technologies for suitability in large-scale pastoral environments
• demonstrate commercial, safety and animal wellbeing outcomes to facilitate adoption.

Key findings

The project facilitated 63 on-farm drone adoptions during the reporting period, with producers consistently reporting time savings, reduced labour reliance, improved safety and enhanced animal welfare. Many enterprises achieved ROI within the first year.

Benefits to industry

The project demonstrates that drone mustering is commercially viable today under BVLOS and EVLOS settings, delivering measurable productivity, safety and animal welfare gains.

MLA action

MLA actively investigating opportunities and advantages of full automation of drone mustering.

Future research

Future research should prioritise the development of a nationally aligned ag-tech education program integrating drone and aerial stockmanship training into secondary curricula to strengthen workforce readiness and sector attraction. Continued investigation is needed into range-extension technologies compatible with mainstream drone platforms. Workshops and live demonstrations should continue to further support confident, compliant adoption, particularly in underexposed areas.