School raises $590,000 to study cow belching

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - 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, north of Stockholm.

Cattle release methane, a greenhouse gas believed to contribute to global warming, when they digest food.

Researchers believe the level of methane released depends on the type of food.

Project leader Jan Bertilsson says 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 per cent 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.