I fundamentally agree with your assertion that it doesn't make a lot of sense. What matters when it comes to agricultural efficacy is the amount of droplet distribution and the amount of chemical that's actually applied to the crop. The manner in which it's done, whether it's from a drone, a plane or a piece of ground equipment, doesn't really matter.
So, I fundamentally agree. I think the regulations were conceived at a time when drone spraying wasn't a thing, so they didn't create a pathway for that. They desperately need to be re-evaluated and thought through from the perspective of outcomes first. What is the outcome you're trying to generate? Can you generate that outcome in a safe manner? Then, reverse-engineer the platform from there.