More than 60% of the total surface area of the country' is covered by agricultural land, most of which is managed intensively and intersected by a dense netw ork of ditches (around 300 000 kilometres), streams and lakes (Oenemaetal., Recent figures from Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS) indicate that the Netherlands is the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, following the United States. In 2012, the total value of Dutch agricultural exports was EUR 75.4 billion. The Dutch agri-food industry contributes EUR 52.5 billion of added value to Dutch GDP, accounting for some 20% of the country’s total export value (CBS et al.,