FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Bayer said on Wednesday it had cut about 12,000 full-time positions since the start of a restructuring programme to speed up decision-making and reduce managerial and administrative positions.

Bayer, which is burdened by U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, has said it is holding off on breaking up the diversified group amid calls by some investors to sell the group's consumer health unit or separately list its crop science division on the stock market.

A previous tally for jobs slashed in 2024 was at 7,000.

The number of global employees as per end of June stood at close to 90,000, when counted in full-time equivalents, according to its quarterly report.The German maker of pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, which last week published preliminary results, also said in a statement that its financial provisions for Roundup litigation totalled $7.4 billion, or 6.3 billion euros.

Bayer said last week it had set aside an additional 1.2 billion euros ($1.37 billion) in provisions for ongoing litigation in the United States over the Roundup weedkiller.