Photo/Illutration Cattle eat feed in a cowshed in Betsukai, Hokkaido, in February 2020. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Researchers are working on a way to dramatically reduce the methane gas that cows burp out, in the hope that it can help mitigate global warming.

The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) is developing technology to constantly monitor microorganisms in cattle’s stomachs as well as feed to suppress the functions of methane-producing bacteria.

The research organization, which is affiliated with the agriculture ministry, aims to cut the amount of methane cattle emit by 80 percent by 2050.

Methane has 25 times more of a heat-trapping greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. Cow burps and farts account for more than 10 percent of greenhouse gases emitted in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, according to the agriculture ministry.

In cows’ stomachs, some 8,000 kinds of microorganisms break down and ferment grass and other foods they eat. That process produces volatile fatty acids, which give the cows energy, and also generates methane gas, which is released into the air through burping.

The NARO has partnered with Hokkaido University and other organizations to develop feed that will inhibit the microorganisms that produce methane gas.

Hokkaido University added juice squeezed from cashew nut shells to cattle feed and confirmed that the mixture can curb the activity of methane-producing bacteria. The university is developing a cheaper, easier-to-secure material that creates the same effect.

The NARO plans to develop monitoring equipment to examine how microorganisms work in cattle’s stomachs and determine the best amount of feed and the best timing to give it to cattle.

The project started in fiscal 2020 through a Cabinet Office subsidy. In the current fiscal year, 35 million yen ($321,100) will be invested in research into the new feed and the basic technology required for monitoring.

The NARO hopes to establish expertise in the field by 2030.

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