An unexpected controversy shook the agricultural sector after the daughter of Marcos Pereda, vice president of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), made statements against livestock farming and meat consumption on a streaming program linked to environmentalism and veganism.
During an interview shared on social media, the young woman claimed that her father, despite coming from generations dedicated to livestock production, “is cutting that line” and that he is even “super aware” that “this needs to come to an end.” She also stated that much of that influence comes from her mother, who is vegetarian.
“My dad comes from generations of livestock producers, but he is cutting that line. He knows and is super aware that this needs to come to an end,” the young woman asserted in the viralized segment that quickly generated thousands of reactions and strong questioning towards the leadership of the Rural Society.
The statements caused strong outrage among agricultural producers and social media users, as she is the daughter of one of the leading figures of an entity historically linked to the defense of the Argentine countryside and meat production, one of the main economic and cultural symbols of the country.
In light of the uproar, Marcos Pereda published a statement on his X account attempting, unsuccessfully, to distance himself from his daughter's statements. He stated that he was consulted about the comments made on a program related to her work and clarified that those opinions “do not represent at all” his way of thinking.
The rural leader also emphasized that he has always been “a defender of livestock activity as one of the central pillars of the country's development” and asserted that Argentina must “conquer new markets to sell our meat worldwide,” even though his own daughter declares otherwise.
The statement from the vice president of the rural sector after being exposed.
The response did not manage to defuse the controversy. On social media, numerous producers and agricultural leaders deemed the clarification insufficient and questioned the fact that from the family environment of one of the main rural leaders in the country, speeches contrary to livestock activity are promoted.
The episode once again brought to the forefront the degree of penetration of international agendas that seek to reduce meat consumption under environmental arguments, an agenda that various sectors of agriculture consider a direct threat to one of the historical engines of the Argentine economy.
