A young stockman from north-west Queensland is taking on the aviation watchdog in a battle over the use of drones to muster livestock.
Luke Chaplain from Malakoff Station near Cloncurry formed his ag tech company SkyKelpie in a bid to become the first person in the world to commercialise the use of drones to herd animals.
He said while there were many benefits to using a drone to muster including it being cheaper, less dangerous than mustering with a helicopter and requiring fewer workers on the ground, regulatory red tape was yet to catch up with the new technology.
While pizzas are being delivered by drone in several capital cities, graziers aren't allowed to fly a drone beyond visual line of sight, even on their own, vast properties.
"There is a landholder exemption for flying drones to muster cattle, but they must be able to see the drone at all times under Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules," Mr Chaplain said.
"That's a problem when you're talking about mustering over thousands of hectares."
Mr Chaplain became the first grazier in the country to be granted permission by CASA to fly beyond visual line of sight over the family property for livestock mustering purposes.
He said it was an expensive, time-consuming examination process made possible through the support of industry giant Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
He said the regulations needed to change.
"When you look at the low air risk and ground risk out here on these properties, I think we can really streamline and make the regulations a lot more practical while keeping everyone safe," he said.
"In terms of flying a drone beyond visual line of sight, we don't want to go over the 120 metres and helicopters are not meant to go lower than 150m so you have a buffer there."
"As long as drone mustering stays in their lane and manned aviation stays in their lane, there won't be a problem."
In a statement, CASA says it is reviewing its regulations around allowing landowners to fly drones beyond visual line of sight and it has also developed a new exam it says is less complex and more accessible.
Mr Chaplain first gained international attention as a saddle bronc rider on the rodeo circuit, competing all over the country and in the United States and Canada.
But his feet were firmly out of the stirrups and his eye was on the sky when he was mustering on the family property one day.
"It all started with my cheap little red drone that I got in Hong Kong, when I was trying to get some heifers into the yards," he said.
"We were having issues on the farm, it's hard to get labour and helicopter mustering is quite expensive."
He said despite the cutting-edge technology, the concept uses the same principles of mustering which have been around for centuries.
The drone works by being piloted behind a mob of cattle, which sets them in the right direction and once the drone is brought back in front of the animals, it slows them down.
"There's a number of different ways you can approach the livestock, you can come down and bomb them, and then they'll go a million miles an hour," he said.
"But if you can get them to move off the pressure of the drone in a calm responsive manner, then you're going to have more luck with them, getting them to your desired location."
His SkyKelpie company has been holding workshops around the country, teaching producers how to use the technology.
Grazier Julie McAuley, from Answer Downs in Queensland's north-west, attended one of the workshops and said there was merit in the idea.
"I can see it's a lot more efficient and cost-effective than lapping around with an aeroplane for a long time," Ms McAuley said.
Cloncurry-based livestock agent Bo Scoble said the technology went beyond mustering.
"A major plus is the ability to check infrastructure, check waters, check fences, those sorts of things," Mr Scoble said.
Mr Chaplain said the ability to muster in the cool of the night was also a major benefit and something that didn't normally occur on properties, due to the risk of uneven terrain and obstacles.
He recently used his drone - which uses infra-red technology - to chase off a wild dog from a flock of lambs in the middle of the night on a friend's property.
But it was the safety benefits of mustering with drones that were key.
Helicopter mustering is considered one of the nation's most dangerous professions, with CASA describing the sector in a report as "hazard rich" due to low-level flying and risks of terrain, trees and powerlines.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said there had been 133 aerial mustering incidents reported to the body since the start of 2010.
Twenty-one people were killed during that timeframe with 22 seriously injured.
Central Queensland cattleman Alan Acton was killed in a helicopter crash while mustering on his property west of Rockhampton earlier this year.
Luke Chaplain also lost family friend Brent Acton, the nephew of Alan Acton, in a separate crash in 2017.
"He was on his way, one early morning, and unfortunately, the helicopter had a mechanical error and, and he passed away on the way to come into muster here," he said.
"It was devastating for his family, for the community, and for my family as well."
Industry giant MLA has been supporting Mr Chaplain's study of the use of drones for mustering livestock.
Managing director Jason Strong said there was a big future for managing livestock with drones.
"There are opportunities across the full spectrum of operations, this isn't just about mustering, it's about checking livestock, water and security of fences and gates," Mr Strong said.
But he does not believe the concept will completely eclipse traditional stockhandling methods.
"One of the coolest things about our industry is the engagement with livestock, the environment and the landscape," he said.
"We enjoy the engagement, whether it's on horseback or motorbike, it will always be an important part of what we do."