You are being too generous. "The public breathing down their necks" doesn't happen when the treaty is over palm oil or sisal, even if there is some economic impact on the public.
The public is easily swayed by any industry that feels slighted. While the public might not directly react to the language of a treaty, after a concerted ad campaign featuring actors portraying sad, job-at-risk employees, scary music and dystopian scenarios, etc, they start breathing on said necks.
(And never mind the specifics, if palm oil or sisal is your livelihood, you're absolutely going to be breathing down the politicians' necks...)