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Member States are not united on protecting bees from pesticides. While France supports a ban on pesticides killing more than 7% of bee populations, Spain supports a much higher mortality limit for bee populations, up to 23.2%. France's position is also supported by environmental organizations, while Spain's position is criticized by environmental organizations because, according to them, it could practically eradicate bee populations in the EU. However, Spain's position is based on a survey conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which showed that bee populations normally fluctuate in the range of 23.2% even without pesticides.

On 31/03/2021, the European Commission published a report on the development of trade in agri-food products in 2020. The value of exports from the EU increased compared to 2019 to €184.3 billion (+ 1.4%), imports to €122, 2 billion (+ 0.5%). In total, a surplus of €62 billion (+ 3%) was achieved. The main export destinations were China (+ €3.22 billion), Switzerland (+ €675 million) and the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA), especially Saudi Arabia (+ €648 million), Algeria (+ €494 million) and Morocco. (+ €413 million). Imports to the EU increased significantly from Canada (+ €1.05 billion), while Ukraine (- €1 billion) and the USA (- €626 million) decreased. In commodities, exports of pork (+ €2.12 billion), exports of wheat (+ €1.70 billion) and pet food (+ €557 million) increased.
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On 30/03/2021, the European Commission published a short-term outlook on trends in the agri-food sector. The Commission expects prices and global consumption of all major cereals to rise in the coming years, with production projected to increase by 5.3% for cereals and by 3.4% for oilseeds compared to 2019. Protein crop production is expected to increase by 5.2%. Sugar production in the EU is estimated at a five-year low due to the widespread disease of viral jaundice in sugar beet in France. EU beef production fell by 1.2% in 2020 and is expected to fall further by 0.9%.
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On 29/03/2021, the European Commission published a final sustainability impact assessment to support the negotiation of an EU-Mercosur trade agreement. According to the evaluation, the agreement between the EU and Mercosur will have a positive impact on the economies of both blocs and could contribute to the recovery from the economic crisis caused by the current pandemic. According to the evaluation, appropriate law enforcement policy instruments and market initiatives could prevent any significant impact of the trade agreement on deforestation in Mercosur. Similar policies and initiatives implemented in Brazil between 2004 and 2012 have led to a decline in deforestation while agricultural production has strengthened. Since 2014, deforestation rates, particularly in Brazil, have started to rise again due to worse economic conditions and weakened environmental law enforcement efforts. The European Commission has therefore made it clear that it needs meaningful results and the commitment of Mercosur before it can propose an agreement to the Council and Parliament for signature and conclusion. Addressing sustainability issues, including deforestation, will require clear, firm commitments and measurable sustainability goals.
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The European Parliament, the Commission and the Council met on 26/03/2021 for a full-day so-called super trilogue on all three parts of the CAP package - Strategic Plans, Horizontal Issues, and the Common Market Organization. The institutions have made the most progress on Horizontal Issues. According to the Interim Agreement (in the European negotiations, the rule is that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”) the European institutions, after a long debate, supported the voluntary use of ARACHNE, which should be used to collect data on CAP beneficiaries. The possibility of correcting errors by beneficiaries to reduce the number of fines paid should also be ensured, and the Commission should be responsible for proper control of the use of CAP funds. As part of the section on CAP Strategic Plans, the institutions originally wanted to agree on definitions of active / real farmer, small farmer, young farmer, and new farmer; however, no agreement has yet been reached on any of the definitions. However, according to information from some European media, support was expressed for a rather mandatory definition of a real farmer. The institutions reached a shift and an interim agreement for Annex I of the CAP Strategic Plans, i.e., for impact, result, and output indicators. The new implementation mechanism should be reviewed every two years (2024 and 2026), with an additional performance evaluation in 2025, but no sanctions should be imposed for non-compliance this year. The rate of deviation in meeting the indicators should reach 35% in 2024 and should fall to 25% by 2026. The rules on controls and sanctions for compliance with cross compliance should be introduced at EU level and should therefore be the same for all Member States. According to European media, during the trialogue, the Council proposed to introduce, on a mandatory basis, at least one of the tools for better redistribution of direct payments, i.e., capping, redistributive payments or degressivity, the choice should be left to the Member States. The Council also supported the achievement of an internal convergence of direct payments of 85% by 2026 (Parliament called for 100%). However, no agreement was reached on these issues, and negotiations will continue in the coming weeks. On the topics of capping, redistribution and degressivity, an agreement is expected to be reached at the very end of the negotiations. Neither the green architecture of the CAP nor social conditionality was placed on the agenda of 26/03/2021. Norbert Lins (EPP, DE), Chair of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the super trilogue negotiations had helped move the negotiations forward, but called on the EU Council for more flexibility in the forthcoming rounds of negotiations.