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Furs, Agriculture & Fishing

Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Marketing Program

Wild fur from the Northwest Territories is considered among the very best in the world. The harvesting of this fur is a fundamental part of both the NWT’s Aboriginal culture and traditional economy.

Through the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Program, the Government of the Northwest Territories works in partnership with NWT harvesters and the fur industry to support and promote the NWT’s traditional fur economy.

The program provides NWT Trappers with “one window” access to the international fur auction market for fur harvested in the NWT.  In addition, the program actively markets and promotes fur at international venues through partnerships with other harvesting jurisdictions and the private sector.

The distinctive label, depicting a traditional Dene snowshoe, guarantees the buyer a single source of high quality authentic NWT-harvested fur. 

There are three sub programs to Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Program:

• Guaranteed Advances: provides trappers with interim funds to continue trapping while still awaiting the sale of furs at auction.

• The Prime Fur Bonus Program: provides funds based upon successful market performance and provides an incentive to deliver high quality well-handled fur pelts for sale. 

• The Grubstake Program: provides eligible trappers with funds to defray a portion of their start up costs at the beginning of each trapping season.

 
In addition, the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs program pays all associated costs of selling furs at the auction including shipping and drumming and provides protection against sudden and unanticipated declines in market prices.

All wild furs in the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Collection are harvested as part of an ongoing, centuries-old tradition using the most humane trapping techniques in the fur industry today and comply with European market guidelines and standards set out in the Agreement on International Humane Trap Standards 

For GMVF Trappers Newsletters, click here.

For more information about the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs™ Program please mail us at gmvfurs@gov.nt.ca