Free Range, Premium, Salt-Tinted Coastal Marsh Beef

Direct from your local farmers around Pagham, Chichester and Langstone Harbour

Local beef farmers supported by the Chichester Harbour Conservancy, West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), are co-operating to market beef which has been raised on local grazing marshes. This allows the opportunity to enjoy local beef whilst helping to secure the future of these stunning grasslands, which are such a vital part of the Sussex and Hampshire coast.

Coastal Grazing Marshes around Chichester, Langstone and Pagham Harbours and along the coastal plains were once renowned for finishing beef cattle. These areas provide important habitats for many species, such as Barn Owls, Water Voles and Lapwing.  Many of these marshes are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in recognition of their national importance for the wildlife they support.  It is vital for the survival of many of these species (some already officially endangered), that the cattle continue to graze the marshes, as this is critical to maintaining these rich coastal landscapes. Without the grazing, the marshes would become uninhabitable for most of the wildlife and very difficult to manage for the farmers. 

However, changes in beef farming mean that the remaining Marshes are under threat as cattle numbers decline. The Three Harbours Beef Scheme has been set up to encourage farmers to use the coastal grazing marshes to raise their cattle and help sell their beef direct to the local communities, achieving a much fairer price.  This in turn helps farmers to afford to keep their cattle on the marshes, rather than giving them and the land up, in some cases even selling off these fantastically beautiful and important landscapes, for development.