Why is a strong CAP budget needed?

The cost of the CAP is less than 1% of EU government’s total public expenditure and compares, for example, with 39% spent on social security. Yet the returns are equally enormous.
The CAP plays a vital role in ensuring food security, employment and stability in the agri-food sector and more widely in rural areas. Nearly one in six people work in the agri-food sector.
Thanks to the CAP, agriculture has not only been an extremely important stabilising force during the recent economic difficulties, it has also played a major role in European integration and the building of the Single Market, being the only sector governed by a truly common policy. The CAP budget represents a very small investment for substantial and wide-ranging returns for European citizens which are sometimes taken for granted. If we are to maintain these benefits, we must also maintain a strong CAP backed by a strong budget.