Ontario strawberries in jeopardy

Local farmers say their crops are being crushed by foreign imports.
The farmers who bring you Ontario's sweet strawberries say they are slowly being crushed by foreign imports brought in by big grocery chains.
Casper Saarloos supplies six A&P and Food Basic stores in London with strawberries grown on his fruit and vegetable farm near Vienna in Elgin County.
But he has gradually cut back his strawberry crop from six to three acres because every year the chains buy less and bring in more imports from as far away as California.
This week one of the stores dropped him as a supplier and he fears the rest will eventually follow.
Saarloo's frustration is obvious as he walks his fields of produce, which include apples, plums, pears, sweet corn, tomatoes and melons.
Almost every commodity is under siege from cheap foreign imports.
Saarloos says some grocery retailers are selling strawberries - California or Ontario berries - for as little as US$1.99 a quart, making it difficult for Ontario producers to profit.
Saarloos, who has three children, including one with autism, says he's working 14-hours days and hasn't had a vacation in more than 30 years.