Lawmakers want US to address risks posed by Chinese agriculture drones

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A dozen Republican U.S. lawmakers urged the Biden administration on Friday to address the use of Chinese-manufactured agriculture drones, saying their use on American farms poses national security risks.

The House members, including Representatives Elise Stefanik, Ashley Hinson and John Moolenaar, who chairs a select committee on China, asked the Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in letters seen by Reuters, 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.

DJI responded that it has no ties to the Chinese military, saying in an emailed statement "the unfounded accusations against our agricultural drone technology are putting U.S. farmers at risk by potentially depriving them of the tremendous benefits that DJI spray drones offer."

The company said its agricultural drone technology "supports sustainable agriculture, allowing American farmers and business owners to integrate additional precision farming practices into their operations."

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said China "firmly supports Chinese companies in carrying out international trade and cooperation in drones for civilian use, and opposes certain countries' frequent illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals on the grounds of so-called national security."

The U.S. agencies declined to comment.

The congressional letter noted that the Commerce Department has imposed export restrictions on aerosol dispensing drones that have potential to be used as weapons delivery platforms.

"The risk of these DJI agricultural spray drones being manipulated to carry out an attack in the United States cannot be ignored," the letter said. "Relying on our greatest strategic adversary for technology critical to the success of our agricultural production endangers the resiliency of our food supply."

Stefanik called on the Agriculture Department and the cybersecurity agency to "take immediate action to mitigate the risks of Chinese-manufactured drones to our agriculture industry." She has proposed legislation seeking to bar new DJI drones from operating in the United States.

DJI agriculture drones use advanced sensors that can collect and interpret crop data that is "impossible for the human eye to see", the lawmakers wrote, arguing that China could use the sensors "to gain access into granular level detail on the stability and condition of the U.S. agriculture sector."

In 2020, the U.S imposed export restrictions on DJI. Lawmakers have said DJI accounts for more than 50% of all U.S. drone purchases.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and William Mallard)