ZenaTech Secures Irish Aviation Authority Operational Authorization for Drone-Based Crop and Soil Nutrient Application Services
*SORA-based authorization for ZenaDrone enables the Drone as a Service platform to deliver large-scale precision agriculture applications to farmers and supports planned expansion into additional European markets*
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 10, 2026 [(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)](https://www.globenewswire.com/) \-- ZenaTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) ("ZenaTech" or the "Company"), a technology company specializing in AI drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, announces that its Drone as a Service subsidiary will expand its precision agriculture drone-based services to farmers in Ireland. The Company received Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) approval from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), granted under European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidelines. The approval was given to its drone subsidiary, ZenaDrone, at the Company's EMEA DaaS headquarters located near Dublin, Ireland, authorizing large-scale targeted aerial application of fertilizer, lime, bio stimulants, and other non-plant protection products on Irish farmland and granular spreading at scale, helping farmers reduce product inputs, operating costs, risk to personnel, and environmental impact.
"This milestone for ZenaDrone and our Drone as a Service platform demonstrate that we can clear the regulatory bar for the initiation of large-scale aerial precision agriculture in Ireland and beyond," said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech. "EASA's framework is used across the European Union, as this approval provides a replicable template to apply market by market rather than starting fresh. We believe that precision agriculture is a large and underpenetrated opportunity globally, and having an approved and repeatable path forward will aid our roll out and recurring Drone as a Service revenue growth as we plan future expansion across Europe and into other regions."
Precision agriculture is a sector facing historically high fertilizer costs and increasing environmental scrutiny. Drone-based aerial application allows precise, targeted spreading on terrain unsuitable for heavy machinery, reducing soil compaction and run-off risk while cutting input costs and personnel exposure. [Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency](https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=n9-1erVP7oHIOl4oDI0DDND398nInd1I0mCu5rgJ38nrW93HHet04x0868pzfy_tTAsJg8jHRbjPcmBh8sil_8hhdJ_jmBM-QFTRXv8NcVE_eFIOQyXxF-bQYK15JDfchf9u9PT3SiGqTrcE2WkDjnCoInBh5sR92YMY7iyGDi_kKOEdMt-XTKVGffNK_Mp-iGFmYD8GxW-4f8zfHN3OEfrQb8S_U7a9NztKMehg3RMpeRVSrvb3VXNRnXdbEk4e) reported in 2026 that nitrogen concentrations in Irish rivers rose 10% year-over-year, with excess fertilizer run-off cited as a leading cause, underscoring demand for more precise application methods of the kind that ZenaTech's ZenaDrone and DaaS platform are now authorized to provide.
The SORA authorization allows the company to operate complex, autonomous aerial missions at scale, without requiring customers to navigate aviation safety regulation, pilot certification, hardware costs and maintenance directly. Management believes this regulatory pathway supports its broader strategy of scaling DaaS as a recurring-revenue, subscription-based service across multiple geographies and industry verticals, including forestry, renewables, construction, and infrastructure monitoring.
[https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/zenatech-secures-irish-aviation-authority-123000167.html](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/zenatech-secures-irish-aviation-authority-123000167.html)