The leading opponent of genetically modified food admits he's been wrong for two decades.

Mark Lynas a British "environmentalist",has been a key figure in the demonizing of genetically modified foods, a drive that certainly has contributed to the starving  of the world's neediest. Now he admits he's wrong:

I want to start with some apologies. For the record, here and upfront, I apologise for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonising an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.

As an environmentalist, and someone who believes that everyone in this world has a right to a healthy and nutritious diet of their choosing, I could not have chosen a more counter-productive path. I now regret it completely.

I guess you'll be wondering-what happened between 1995 and now that made me not only change my mind but come here and admit it? Well, the answer is fairly simple: I discovered science, and in the process I hope I became a better environmentalist.

I'm happy to learn he's wised up about food.  He's still a bit off on that science thingy though. The author of the slate article summarized Lynas' full remarks which include this bit of nonsense:  "To vilify GMOs is to be as anti-science as climate-change deniers, he says."

h/t:Instapudit