The Farmer's Guide to Agricultural Robotics: What Farmers Need to Know About Agricultural Robots in the EU

Here's the reality: legal uncertainty is one of the main reasons farmers hesitate to adopt new technology. Research shows that while interest in agricultural robotics is high, many farmers are reluctant to take the plunge until they have more clarity about the legal landscape. The good news is that the European Union is actively working on creating clear frameworks to support the safe and effective use of agricultural robots. Understanding these frameworks can actually work in your favor.

When you buy agricultural machinery in the EU, you'll see a "CE mark" on it. This isn't just a sticker—it's essentially the product's passport to the European market, meaning the manufacturer has confirmed the machine meets EU safety requirements. For you as a farmer, this means the machinery has been designed with safety in mind, complies with specific EU directives like the Machinery Directive and Agricultural and Forestry Machinery Regulation, and gives you some baseline assurance about the product's safety. Now, while manufacturers aren't legally required to follow specific technical standards like ISO standards, many choose to do so because it demonstrates their commitment to quality and safety (and more technically it provides them with a presumption of compliance with relevant laws). Think of standards as industry best practices that have been agreed upon by experts.

This is where product liability comes in, and it's crucial for protecting you as a farmer. Under EU law, if an agricultural robot is defective and causes damage—whether to you, your employees, your crops, or even neighbouring property—the manufacturer can be held responsible, even if they weren't negligent. This is actually quite powerful protection for farmers. The law recognizes three types of defects. First, there are manufacturing defects, where something went wrong in production and your specific machine differs from how it should have been made. Second, design defects occur when the product itself was designed in an unsafe way. Third, information defects happen when there are inadequate warnings or instructions. What makes this particularly valuable for farmers is that you don't need to prove the manufacturer was careless—just that the product was defective and caused damage.

Here's a question that keeps many tech-savvy farmers up at night: When your robot tractor collects data about soil conditions, yields, GPS locations, and field operations—who owns that data? The agricultural robots working your fields are collecting valuable information that can be used to predict crop yields, optimize farming practices, make financial decisions, and improve the robot's performance over time. The complicated part is that traditional property law wasn't designed for digital assets like data. You can't "own" data in the same way you own your tractor. But the EU has introduced the Data Act that gives you more control over data generated by your equipment. This legislation establishes your right to access data generated by products you use and the ability to request that data be shared with you or third parties. Any agreements about data must be transparent and reasonable, and crucially, companies can't use data from your farm to develop competing products that could hurt your business. What does this mean in practice? You could use that data to get a repair on your machines by any third party, rather than being obliged to go back to the original supplier (which may charge a premium), as you will be able to access data that once was only accessible to the supplier.

The regulatory landscape for agricultural robotics is evolving rapidly, and that's actually good news. Clear rules mean more confidence in your investment, better protection when things go wrong, greater control over your farm data, and continued innovation in the sector. Yes, there are legal considerations when adopting agricultural robotics, but they shouldn't be a barrier. Instead, think of this regulatory framework as providing guardrails that protect you while allowing innovation to flourish. The future of farming is increasingly automated, and the EU is working to ensure that future is safe, fair, and beneficial for farmers. The adoption of agricultural robotics represents a significant shift in how we farm, and like any major change, it comes with questions and uncertainties. But armed with a basic understanding of the regulatory environment, you can approach these technologies with confidence, knowing that there are frameworks in place to protect your interests while supporting innovation that can make your farm more productive and sustainable.

Acknowledgments: this blog post is based on the research carried out by Rocco Limongelli (the author) and Andrea Bertolini, in the writing of the book chapter Regulatory frameworks and standards for agricultural robotics in the European Union in the book Advances in agri-food robotics.

Bertolini, A., & Limongelli, R. (2024). Regulatory frameworks and standards for agricultural robotics in the European Union. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.