STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - A Swedish university has received
$590,000 in research funds to measure the greenhouse gases released
when cows belch.
About 20 cows will participate in the project run by the Swedish
University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, about 40 miles
north of Stockholm, officials said Monday.
Cattle release methane, a greenhouse gas believed to contribute
to global warming, when they digest their food. Researchers believe
the level of methane released depends on the type of food the eat.
Project leader Jan Bertilsson said that the cows involved in the
study will have different diets and wear a collar device measuring
the methane level in the air around them.
He said 95 percent of the methane released by cows comes out
through the mouth.
"This type of research is already being conducted in Canada so
we will be in contact with Canadian agricultural researchers in the
near future," he said.
The research will be funded by a grant from the government's
Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and
Spatial Planning.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)