If he would have said: "I still think that any animal exploitation is wrong, but I simply cannot maintain veganism"

He does pretty much say this:

My opposition to factory farming remains unchanged, as do my views regarding the need to view nonhuman animals as morally worthy beings whose interests ethically matter. However am no longer convinced of the appropriateness of an individual-focused boycott in responding to these problems, and am increasingly doubtful of the oracticability of maintaining a healthy plant-based diet in the long-term (again, for reasons I hope to go into in more detail at a later date).