Most of you have certified fur already, you just don't know it. What does it say where you sign your name on your trapping license?

traceability and certification are two different things.

Most of you have certified fur already, you just don't know it. What does it say where you sign your name on your trapping license? As far as a back door effort to do away with us, I am sure that is what every one making money off us wants to do. It is already happening.

certification will dictate what traps and methods that can or cannot be used before they will certify that pelt. only after you comply with what they is consider humane.......probably by someone that's never even set a trap!

traceability and certification are two different things.

certification will dictate what traps and methods that you can or cannot be used, only after you comply with that they will certify that pelt as being humane harvested...... they consider what is humane not you, or the laws already in place that insures that already happening .......probably by someone that's never even set a trap!

The former is meaningless without the latter. Don't forget where all of this began - The Humane Society bringing suit against 11 retailers in 2011 for selling fake fur garments made from Chinese "raccoon dog" fur, and the European Union's attempt to globally regulate wild-fur production through sanctions that have now reached our borders as Certification and Traceability via NAFA and our brethren to the North.

I'd rather not go through this song and dance once again - it's getting old - but if Boco wants serenade us with his NAFA-sponsored propaganda, I'll play.

They were invited to the ND Fur Takers summer convention and gave a talk. You have no clue what you are saying, since everything you know is at least second hand. Do you have a problem saying your fur is from ID and taken legally? That is all they want.

None of you will like what I'm going to say.
This is not government dictating what we are or, what we are not going to do,but it is free companies in a free country telling us trappers what they expect from us.I don't like it any more than you do.But ,it is what it is,and if you want to sell ,or be auctioned by them,than you better get with the program.Or don't sell to them,or through them. Very simple.
Like I said previous,I don't like it any more than any of you.

A "brief" overview of how we got here:

NAFA has been trying to resurrect the European fur market for years, and the only way that’ll happen is if fur coming into or going through European Union countries meets the EU’s Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). The EU, Canada and Russia all signed on to this agreement in 1997-98. Thankfully, the United States did not sign on to AIHTS.

In an effort to leverage AIHTS compliance from US fur producers (trappers and hunters), NAFA decided to create an industry-concocted solution in the form of Fur Certification and Traceability (FCT). It’s basically an end-run around state and local trapping and hunting regs in the US.

Again, traceability is meaningless unless AIHTS compliance CAN BE CERTIFIED all the way down the fur chain. And this is the crux of NAFA’s Fur Certification and Traceability program. Ya gotta follow the bouncing FCT ball.

It’s an effort to gain AIHTS compliance by establishing an industry-wide set of standardized practices that would force wild fur producers to comply with European Union standards as a requirement to sell fur to NAFA directly or through their agents.

It's designed to standardize the methods we're allowed to use, the equipment we're allowed to use, the species we're allowed to trap, when we're allowed to trap, who is allowed to trap, what credentials are required to trap, where and with whom we're allowed to sell our fur, and so on. The model here is Canada's federalized system, which is a slow rollout of ever-increasing regulations and restrictions on all of the above.

NAFA of course denies this, but NAFA’s own policy initiatives betray that denial. Why? Because without AIHTS compliance the EU fur market remains closed to them. And because the US is a major source of wild fur production, the only way to reignite the EU wild fur market is by gaining AIHTS compliance on some level from US trappers.

At this early stage compliance begins by getting trappers here in the US to sign a declaration indicating they've followed their state and local laws and BMPs. Once NAFA gets that ball rolling – with our incremental cooperation – the end point is a de facto (industry implemented) regulatory system for which we have no voice, no representation, and no local or state sovereignty over our trapping heritage. What we will have is a set of rules, regulations and standards that originated from the European Union.

And if you want to know why Canada Goose jumped the shark, Google the HSUS FTC Petitions on retailers selling real fur garments as faux fur - Canada Goose has been named in at least one of the suits.

A simple answer to your conspiracy theory on NAFA leading the charge on certification, why would NAFA want to cutoff the supply of fur? NAFA doesn;t make money selling popcorn!!!

I'm going to go make a sandwich.

That's the only kind I buy.The uncertified stuff is full of chemicals.

Where is that Meatball Walleyed,shouldnt he be chiming in about now?

75% 0f the worlds tuna producers are certified under the ISSF.

I was told repeatedly bmp was a good thing. So when do we see the benefits? Where are all the trappers that told me on this very site I should get behind it?

Again, where is the carrot for traceability????? Fur market is in the toilet anyway.

Give it up guys, just put your name on the dotted line and answer all questions.What the heck difference does it make? Your trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. just be glad things never got as bad as the Europeans wanted it to be. This whole thing has been in the works for I think over 20 years. You think it is bad being a trapper and having to jump through hoops do ya? You should try being a Ginseng buyer or even a fur buyer and have to deal with all the crap that we go through to even be able to buy Ginseng and to a lesser degree being a fur buyer. Just to buy Ginseng you got to keep a complete log of every transaction you make. This includes names, addresses, counties,and amounts dug in each county. To ship out of state and over seas, you must have what boils down to a trace ability certification paper. Then you must have your export permits and before each barrel of seng leaves the country it must be inspected by a federal inspector to make sure you have all legal roots.
This kind of stuff is enough to make you pull your hair out. But like trapping, you will learn to do what each and every company wants you to do so things can be traced back to the point of origin. The old days are gone, the new era is upon us and if you want to play, you will learn to do what you are told to do. All the complain is not going to change a thing and you will have to comply if you wish to sell fur.

99% of every consumer product you purchase today has a traceability program in place. Its rare today to find one that doesn't.


Most them are in place in case something goes wrong the problem can be sorted out more efficiently.








Others like fur are for competitive advantage, and brand loyalty.











Its a marketing tool: They can look a customer in the eye, and say they did their due diligence, they went and made sure things were done by the rules established by various game & fish agencies, instead of taking someone's word for it.






That's all it is. Nothing more, nothing less.






They've thrown their lot in with yours, there's no way they want to slow you down, or restrict your efforts. That would hurt them as much you.



It helps them sell fur, and if their selling fur, your selling fur.




Just simple common sense.

Furs "coyotes" are already being tagged as to which state they came from. CG or anyone else can then decide if they want to buy fur from that state based on regs. within that state. My guess eventually a trapper will get tags which say Minn. on them and have to tag each pelt. Time will tell.

you would think the appease animal rights activist crowd would at least come up with a new fairy tale

Wallfur just telling you what it is,make of it what you will. There are unethical people in the fur deal now and there always was and always will be, that's one thing that will never change.

Yep..I'll try this again..Does a mink farmer anywhere in the world have to comply with a signature also?

Our government decided truckdrivers were not smart enough to sleep once in a while. So they mandated computers to tell the drivers when to park and when to work. The guys causing all the problems are still in the back row of the truckstops smoking dope and playing with fancy ladies. Didn't effect them at all they don't work much anyway.

This is the same thing. A guy to lazy to check traps, put swivels in the chain or whatever is not going to stop doing those things he will just sign the letter. Meanwhile the honest trapper is still paying for the dishonest trappers shenanigains.

Still haven't had anybody show me the carrot in all this.

...

Who is tagging them? I have not seen any.

CG will be buying at some western state auctions and yes there are some that sell direct.

By 2020 mink farms will all be certified, much bigger process for mink farmers each farm has to be inspected, audited and certified. US mink farmers are in good shape, Canadian farmers just starting the process. Europe well on their way to being done.

Here in KS it is illegal for a buyer not to obtain and record name and license # of every body he/she buys fur from. Nafa requires that on every bag of fur. Where is an auction going on at here in the states or in Canada, where that information is not required? I don't understand this traceability thing at all. See no way its a good thing. Very easy now to trace the source of fur.

CITIES was forced on us thru the Endangered Species Act,nothing voluntary there.

the stuff being passed around a year or two ago was about trappers certifying them selves; no certification or tracabilty of fur at all; just trappers signing a form stating they complied with AHITS. 2,3, 4, 5,6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
and 16 are questions that are irrelevant or pertain only to Canada.

I know I'm supposed to be a NAFA hater because I post critically about some of their less than savory business practices and some stuff they do that is plain goofy IMO, but I don't think NAFA is leading the charge on this. They could have done this right when CG wanted it. Vision 2020 looks like a delaying tactic to shine a customer they got caught lying to about the source of their coyotes. Or maybe CG's marketing of Canadian certified coyotes was their own lie?

Certifying the welfare of animals on farms cannot be compared to certifying the various methods of harvest of a wild animal. IMO

P.S. I like how guys on here who painted themselves into the "Mandatory Trapper Ed" corner, are trying to use this as cover. I guess that ain't going to work.

So what happens if you answer NO to #4?

Dirt, the mandatory trapper education corner you speak of was in many cases is the one thing that has kept trapping alive in several states, especially states with more liberal politics in place. Liberals love nothing more than education, just look how screwed up most of the colleges are now days as an example. This played right into the liberal ideology, and how could they stand for education on one matter, and be opposed the next.


We also have to understand that trapper education is mostly managed, and put forth by trappers within the respected states. The state agency's in most cases are just managing the process, and individual trappers, and trapping associations are doing the foot work. A lot of volunteer work goes into many of these courses, and most of the time those putting them on go above, and beyond what is required, or expected of someone.



Dirt, not trying to paint my way into the trapper education corner, but I do like using the tools of other people to paint them into their own corner.


RTT

Yep..Knowing what's on the other side..Why would you jump through the hoop in the first place..LOL...Good post Hippie..

A coon caught here in a 220 Belisle sure ain't worth much right now. (Cus there's no market, I suspect😊)

It's not gonna make fur worth a penny more. My fox caught in Rams are avaeraging $9. Marten and Fisher in the fancy Belisles are not selling for more than any other ones. If a single Canadian here can honestly say theyre getting more for there aihts certified caught fur please speak up and enlighten us to where you're selling. Market and fur quality dictate what is gonna be paid for a fur. There is a market for coyote now, and market will always dictate what is gonna be paid for a skin. A coon caught here in a 220 Belisle sure ain't worth much right now. (Cus there's no market, I suspect😊)

If we get American and Canadian women [and men] wearing fur we have a market again. Simple as that. Many women in the rest of the world will follow their lead.

I doubt very many Iowa coon
are caught to BMP standards. Ones on a drowner yes, but after that, very few.

And we'd also have a broader cross section of people willing to listen to our message. People generally don't care about an issue unless it impacts their lives in some way. They'd rather be emotionally manipulated by an ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan singing in the background because it doesn't require thinking or effort.

I read on the internet that raccoons could not be caught in a submersion set under BMP. I searched the fishwildlife.org site and can find no place approving any traps for raccoons in a submersion set. Dog-proof and double jawed footholds do meet those standards (with limitations-1.5 &11) You might be wrong in your guess.

standard for submersion trapping systems is that the
equipment must prevent the animal from surfacing once it has submerged.