A new EU scientific advice body will be set up to provide guidance on legislation including the use of genetically modified (GM) crops.
The formation of the body follows the axing of the post of chief scientific adviser to the European Commission in November last year.
The post had been held by Scottish biologist Professor Anne Glover.
Its removal was slammed by farming bodies who warned legislation on issues such as GM technology and pesticides use were at risk of being based on politics rather than scientific evidence.
Now, the EU commissioner for research, Carlos Moedas, has unveiled plans for a group of independent scientists to co-ordinate national academies and science bodies in providing advice to the commission.
Commenting on the news, NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie said: “We firmly believe that policy-making in Europe ought to be driven by science therefore we are pleased to see the commission making progress on this issue.
“However, we will be continuing to ensure that this is a genuine effort to ensure that policy is free from politics. We would expect this body to be as robust as Prof Anne Glover was and stand up for science in the policy-making that comes out of Europe.
“We have a high quality of science resources here in Scotland which can play a key role in the delivery of sound scientific advice to this new body which is relevant to Scotland, the UK and other parts of Europe.”
He said since the loss of Prof Glover’s post, the commission had already brought forward “unhelpful legislation on re-nationalising the authorisation process of GM”.
The legislation is designed to enable member states to decide to either ban or approve GM crops.
Mr Bowie added: “We cannot afford to lose any more time and so we urge the commission to establish its new body as soon as possible so genuine, impartial scientific advice can be embedded into European policy-making.”
Both Defra Secretary Liz Truss and leading scientist Lord John Krebs have said UK farmers need access to GM technology to help them compete in a global market.
However, Scots Farm Minister Richard Lochhead has warned Scottish farmers would face sanctions making it impossible to grow GM crops, even if the UK Government gives the technology the go-ahead.