Chef given hefty fine for forest destruction
Print Edition
MICHELIN-STARRED French chef Marc Veyrat, who cooked for world leaders at the United Nations climate talks in Paris, was yesterday served a 100,000-euro (US$108,000) fine for destroying the forest around his Alpine restaurant.
Veyrat, who has received six Michelin stars in his career, was one of five top chefs at the COP21 meeting this month where leaders from across the globe sealed a deal to fight climate change.
He has been found guilty of environmental crimes after clearing 7,000 square meters of protected forest in the mountainous Haute-Savoie region, to build a botanical garden, beehives and greenhouses next to his restaurant La Maison des Bois.
The chef argued he had good intentions and had created an educational site for children, but did not ask for authorization or get a building permit, according to the prosecution.
The building led to the destruction of “7,000 square meters of forest and the drying up of a wetland of nearly 1 hectare,” according to the charges against him.
A French court ordered him to restore the wetlands within three months or face a fine of 3,000 euros every day past the deadline.
Veyrat was found not guilty of a separate charge of contravening town planning laws.
“That allows Mr Veyrat to keep his educational park for children with the botanical garden, greenhouses and apiary,” said the chef’s lawyer Nicolas Ballaloud.
He attributed the “heavy” fine to Veyrat’s “fame.”
During his court hearing, Veyrat said he was “sorry for everything that has happened.”
“I’m not above the law. Everyone can make mistakes.”
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