The recommended 5% budget cut for the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is “the best possible offer” for agriculture, said Frank Bollen, Director of Budget Management, Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).

In June last year, the European Commission presented its legislative proposals on CAP for the period after 2020, aimed at making the common agricultural policy “more sensitive” to current and future challenges, including climate change and renewal of generations, while “continuing to provide support "to European farmers.

These proposals include a 5% reduction in funding for the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in light of fewer Member State contributions to the CAP budget after Brexit.

The UK exit from the European Union is expected to leave a deficit of 12 billion euros in the total annual budget of the EU, of which 40% goes to the flagship CAP policy (365 billion euros during the next CAP 2021-2027).

The proposed budget reduction also occurs during the renewal of Member States' priorities in other areas, such as: security; protection; and migration.

The head of the budget management department at DG AGRI said: "Brexit is an undeniable issue that needs to be taken into account - and the commission should have provided funding for a number of other policies and areas for which money will be needed in the future."